


Empty Boxes

by sincity007



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, dream and george are both idiots, sapnap is the best friend ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 21,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29138088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sincity007/pseuds/sincity007
Summary: George and Oliver are the perfect couple, but after a messy breakup that leaves George heartbroken and Oliver moving on scarily fast, Sapnap and Dream both travel to England to take care of their friend amidst physical and mental damage, and an ex boyfriend that can't seem to leave George alone.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 93





	1. Chapter One

George and Oliver were the perfect couple.

He remembered when he had tweeted about their relationship, finally comfortable with his sexuality and ready to be open with who he was as a person. George’s community had still been growing but was so accepting, offering congratulations and wondering when Oliver would show up in his streams.

And they did stream together. The two of them had laughed hysterically as George attempted to teach his lover how to play Minecraft, giggling together when Oliver would make some dumb mistake, like falling off a mountain or hitting a pigman.

They were in love, and everyone knew it.

Everyone was wrong apparently.

“I just don’t....think this is going to work anymore, George.”

George gaped at his boyfriend (ex?). “What?”

Oliver sighed and shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. Their sofa. “It’s just....I’ve been thinking about this for a bit and…”

His eyes flicked up to George’s nervously, then lowered in shame.

“There’s someone else.”

George’s heart pounded in his chest, and he could feel his blood rushing from his face, paling. “Someone else?” he asked, astonished. “We’ve been together for two years, Olly. How is there just ‘someone else’ out of nowhere?”

Oliver glanced out the window at the darkening sky. It was getting late. “I’ve been...talking with him recently. His name is Edward.”

George scoffed in disbelief and stood up, pacing angrily up and down the living room. Oliver watched him anxiously.

“Are you upset?”

George exploded. “Of course I’m upset, you idiot! How can you just throw two years out in the bin? I don’t understand it!”

“Oh it’s not just my fault, George!” Oliver said, sounding irritated as he stood up as well. Marching over to the other man, he jabbed his finger into his chest, making George stumble back a step and glare coldly at him. “You’ve been acting odd for weeks now! I can’t even remember the last time we had sex!”

“Don’t act like this is about sex,” George said in disbelief. “This is about you wanting to be with someone else. After everything we’ve been through!”

Oliver frowned and grabbed George by the wrist, yanking him closer. “This isn’t my fault,” he said desperately. George struggled to pull his arm from Oliver’s grasp.

“Let go!” he snapped, finally pulling free. Without stopping to think, he reached back and smacked the other man right across the cheek. Stunned into silence, Oliver looked at him with wide eyes, hand pressed to his reddening cheek, meeting George’s tear filled ones. 

“Get out of my house,” he whispered, rage filling his quiet words. When Oliver didn’t move, he yelled. “NOW!”

The other staggered to grab his things, slipping his shoes on and throwing one last glance at George before leaving the apartment. George swore loudly and collapsed onto the sofa, leaning his elbows on his knees and letting his face fall into his hands.

Where did this all go wrong? He thought they were doing fine.

Was it really about sex the whole time? He knew they hadn’t done anything in a while, but George had been busy with his channel and Oliver had been busy working at the office - though he assumed half of that time that he was ‘at work’ he could’ve been with Edward.

“Fuck,” George whispered, tears falling down his cheeks and onto his jeans, darkening the blue fabric. 

This was all his fault wasn’t it?

He fell asleep on the sofa that night, only waking up when his phone started ringing from where he had set it in the kitchen last night. His head was pounding from the effort he had put into sobbing before he fell asleep, and he winced as the room whirled once he got to his feet. Hobbling towards the kitchen, he picked up his phone, heart sinking once he saw the caller ID.

Dream.

He declined the call, only then realizing that his phone was flooded with dozens of missed calls and unanswered texts from both Dream and Sapnap. Both were curious as to where he was - he had been AWOL for nearly 24 hours by now. Normally he would call one of them, explain what had happened, and they would help him through it. Like they always did.

Right now, he was too numb. He couldn’t feel a thing.

Rubbing a hand through his dirty hair, he walked slowly down the hall to his bedroom, staring blankly at the closet before he realized that Oliver had already packed his clothes and other things. He must’ve been playing last night for a while. With that thought, more tears filled George’s eyes and he collapsed into his bed, curling his thin frame around a pillow and holding it close.  
Thoughts swirled through his mind, none of them good. His stomach growled but he couldn’t be bothered to feed it. 

He fell asleep with tear tracks staining his cheeks.

His phone was ringing again. This time it was Oliver. George opened his eyes and hesitated before answering. 

“Hello?”

“What do you want, Oliver?” George mumbled, too upset to be anything other than sad. Being angry took up too much energy that he didn’t have.

“I...just wanted to check up on you. I’m worried about you. I know you never really ate unless I reminded you and that you used to have issues with-”

“I’m fine,” George snapped, his eyebrows dipping in irritation. “It’s not your job to check in on me. Not after...what you did. Don’t call me anymore.”

He hung up before Oliver could say anything else, and burst out in tears once more.

No one ever told him that love would hurt him. If he had known it would, he never would have gone in so deep. 

He was sitting on the floor of his closet, boxes scattered around him as he tried to work up the emotional effort it would take to pack the things that Oliver had forgotten. He hadn’t managed to pack up a single thing, opting instead to stare blankly at the loafers sitting atop a pile of wrinkled dress shirts.

Five minutes passed, then ten. Then thirty. It felt like only seconds had gone by before George blinked and glanced down at his phone - Dream was calling again. He let the call go through, watching as his screen lit up with the notification before dimming back to black.

He couldn’t tell him what had happened. Dream had been so excited for George when he had gotten together with Olly. Oliver.

He couldn’t call him Olly anymore. He wasn’t his anymore.

TW: SH

He sat with his legs crossed, holding his wrists with each hand around his knees. Looking down, he studied with mild interest the deep white scars that littered his arms. None fresh, but still painfully visible. 

He hadn’t harmed in two years. He had stopped for Oliver. He had cried into George’s shoulder when he found out what George had been doing. It hadn’t happened since.  
There wasn’t really a point in keeping that up now, was there? 

He stood from his spot on the floor and moved robotically towards the bathroom, towards the sweet relief that waited for him in the bottom drawer, beneath the sink. As blood trickled slowly down his arm and onto the cold, tile floor, a sick smile made its way across George’s lips.

This was better. Right?

From where it sat on the floor of the closet, his cell phone rang again, lighting up with Oliver’s contact photo. In the bathroom, George ignored it and turned the shower on, watching the water run pink.


	2. Chapter Two

When George woke up, it was to the sound of pounding on his front door. Blankets shuffled around as he stretched and checked the clock on his nightstand for the time. It was nearly 3:00 in the afternoon. He had slept for almost an entire day.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in his arms, he slowly got out of his bed and went to go answer the door. He looked a mess - eye bags deep with emotional baggage and exhaustion, hair greasy from lack of care, dried blood on his arms. He looked like he had been through hell.

He knew as soon as he opened the door that his day was about to get 10 times worse.

“George!”

George stood in disbelief and stared. “Oliver?”

Oliver gently made his way past George and into the apartment, glancing around like he hadn’t been there two nights ago - to shatter George’s heart. “I wanted to check up on you,” he said. His eyes, George’s favorite shade of blue, gave him a once over, frowning when they saw the marks on his arms from the night before. He grabbed George’s wrist, inevitably pulling the shorter man closer.

“I thought you stopped,” he said softly, voice filled with concern. George frowned, still trying to catch up with the events of the past few seconds. 

“Well, I thought you were the love of my life. Guess we were both wrong.”

Oliver flinched and dropped George’s arm, shuffling his feet nervously. “Listen, I...I just wanted to make sure you were taking care of yourself.”

George shook his head, confused. “You broke up with me, Oliver. It’s not your job to check up on me anymore. Go take care of - what’s his name again? - Edward. Obviously he’s pretty important for you to throw two years of love down the drain.” George crossed his arms, staring at the floor. “I don’t want you to come around here anymore.”

Oliver sighed and moved closer, resting one hand on George’s shoulder and the other on his chin, tilting his head up. George looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

“George,” he said earnestly, almost begging. “I’m sorry, okay? Is that what you want to hear?”

George shut his eyes and yanked his chin out of the other mans grasp. “Please leave,” he whispered. “I can’t do this. Please leave. Don’t come back.”

Oliver shook his head. “I can’t just leave you like this! Obviously you’re, you’re-”

“What, Olly?” George snapped, backing away until his back hit the wall next to the front door. He crossed his arms and raised a sharp eyebrow.   
I’m what?”

“Unstable! Just let me stay until I know you’re okay and then I’ll go, you’ll never hear from me again-”

“Just get out of my house! I don’t want you here!”

Silence fell over the two of them, the only sound being George’s angry breathing as he glared at his once-lover. Oliver’s face fell.

“Alright,” he said quietly. “Okay. I’ll go. Just...take care of yourself, Georgie. Please.”

The apartment door closed behind him with a sense of finality and George choked, another sob getting caught in his throat. 

He hated this.

A week passed before George opened Discord for the first time. Seeing that Dream and Sapnap were in a call together, he hesitated before joining, slipping his headphones on to cover his ears.

“GEORGE!”

He couldn’t help the small smile that grew across his face, the first since Oliver had dumped him. “Hey guys,” He said happily, their infectious energy spreading through him in an instant. 

“Where have you been?” Dream demanded, Sapnap echoing his question. George sighed.

“Oliver and I...We broke up. Last week.”

Silence. And then-

“WHAT?!”

“What the hell happened, George?” Sapnap said, sounding astonished. “Last we heard you guys were doing great!”

“I thought we were doing great too,” George sniffled, tears filling his already swollen eyes. “He found someone else. They’re together now.”

Dream scoffed. “After what, two years of being together? There’s no way he moved on that fast-”

“Listen,” George interrupted. “I really don’t want to talk about this anymore. Can we play Minecraft or something?”

His friends quickly agreed, both knowing internally that George would need all the support he could get. 

It could only get worse for him from there.

TW: Mentions of SH

He hadn’t managed to get himself to eat anything other than a granola bar and a glass of water since Oliver had last been over. Food wasn’t appealing. Nothing was. 

He didn’t know what to do with himself anymore.

One night, after watching blood run freely down his sink for the fourth night in a row, he contemplated calling Dream, asking the man to come to England, suddenly desperate for his presence.  
He could never be so selfish. 

He distanced himself from his friends, hating the words of pity that fell through their lips. He didn’t want to hear it. He tweeted that he was taking a break from streams, from social media altogether, and then had deleted every app where people could get a hold of him, not wanting to hear their fake words. 

All he wanted was Oliver.

He wanted to feel the man take him up in his arms and hold him close one last time, wanted to feel the affection he put into his touch, hear the sweet words that came out of his mouth like honey. He missed him. He hated sleeping alone. 

So he didn’t sleep. He sat up all night, crying hysterically until he became physically exhausted and couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore.

He was crumbling, falling to pieces without anyone noticing.

What was he meant to do without Oliver?

Sleep consumed him, and he welcomed its sweet relief with open arms.


	3. Chapter Three

TW/CW: Self Harm

Another week passed. Cuts and healing scars littered George’s arms and legs, and he was finding it more and more difficult to find a reason to stop harming himself. He hadn’t talked to Dream or Sapnap since their call a week ago, and couldn’t be bothered to check his phone to read their messages. He knew they were worried, he just couldn’t work up the effort to respond.

He lay in his bed, pillows and blankets cocooning his slowly deteriorating body in an attempt to comfort him as he scrolled through photos on his phone. 

He was crying still, but it wasn’t the aching sobs that had been erupting from his chest over the past few days. It was the quiet kind of pain, the kind of tears that were silent but were so loud at the same time.

His stomach growled. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten. With that in mind, George sighed and slipped his legs out of his bed, stumbling into the bathroom to wash his face. He couldn’t bear to look at himself in the mirror - he couldn’t recognize himself anymore. His skin was growing more and more pale by the day, and his bones were slowly becoming visible with the lack of nutrition his body was receiving. He dried his face and staggered shakily towards the kitchen.

A thin layer of dust covered his counters, growing with each passing day that they weren’t used. Oliver used to use them every night, loving to cook for George. Now, his fridge was empty and his appetite was gone. George sighed, his chest tightening at the memories that surrounded him. Quickly, he snatched an apple from the bowl on the counter and a bottle of water before retreating to his living room. He collapsed on the couch and pulled the blanket off the back of it around his shoulders, cuddling into its warmth. Glancing out the window, he noted with vague interest that it was raining, angry, dark clouds filling the sky. 

His phone rang from where it sat in his pocket and without thinking he pulled it out and answered it. He immediately regretted his actions.

“George! I’ve been texting and calling you all week man! Where have you been?”

George blinked and glanced at the caller ID on his phone before swearing. Dream. God dammit.

“Hey Dream,” he said slowly. “Sorry, I’ve been…”

He heard a sigh from the other line. “I’m just glad you answered, Georgie. You don’t have to tell me what’s been going on.”

George exhaled a heavy breath that he hadn’t been aware he was holding. “Thank god.”

“Are...Are you okay?”

Outside, the rain pattered loudly against his window, lulling George into a sense of relaxation that he hadn’t felt in a while. He closed his eyes. 

“No, not really.”

He talked to Dream for a while, dancing around the topic of George’s breakup for nearly 2 hours before George decided to hang up. 

“I need to take a shower, Clay,” he laughed quietly, a small smile on his face, which had slowly gained more color as the conversation carried on.

“God, I know Georgie. I can smell you from across the Pacific.”

George laughed and his stomach fluttered nervously at the pet name. He ignored it. “I’ll call you soon, okay?”

“Promise?”

George hesitated for a second before sighing and nodding. “Yeah. I promise.”

He could practically hear the smile on Dream’s face. “Okay! Love you, George! Talk to you soon.”

“Talk to you soon,” George whispered, before pulling the phone away from his ear and hanging up. 

He didn’t deserve Dream. A storm of anxiety and bad thoughts swirled through his mind as he took in the fact that he had spoke to Dream for hours, without once thinking of Oliver. 

Oliver.

George picked up his phone and, without stopping to think, dialed a new number. He bit his lip nervously as the line rang before the call went through.

“The number you dialed is no longer in service. Please leave a message, or try again later.”

His heart sank, though he knew deep down this was for the better. Oliver had blocked his number. 

He missed him.

CW: Panic Attack.

The next day, depression hit him like a rock, leaving him breathless. He woke up in the middle of the night, sobbing so hard he found it difficult to breath, a cold sweat trickling down his spine. His lungs rattled with every breath that he struggled to take in, tears falling down his throat as his chest heaved. Without thinking, he reached for his phone and dialed the first person that came to mind.

“George? It’s pretty late, what’s going-”

“Clay,” George managed, his voice gasping out words like he couldn’t bear to speak again. “Clay, please, I need your help, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, it hurts-”

“Okay, okay, okay, Georgie calm down for me. Calm down, take a deep breathe in-” Dream inhaled sharply to demonstrate and George mimicked him, gulping down lungfuls of air before exhaling quickly.

“Good job Gogy, now come on, one more time for me, deep breathe in-” they inhaled together “-and breathe out.” George shook as he let the air out, feeling his heart slow from the quick pace it had been beating at before. Dream waited patiently on the phone, breathing with George in harmony to help calm him down.

“Georgie?”

“Yeah,” George murmured, sitting up in his bed and exhaling shakily. “I’m okay.”

Dream laughed quietly. “You’re not okay, Georgie. But that’s fine. It’s okay to not be okay, sometimes.”

Tears pricked George’s eyes. “Thank you, Dream.”

“Of course. That’s what I’m here for, right?”

George fidgeted with his duvet, suddenly anxious. “Did I interrupt something? Were you sleeping or-”

“Nah, I was just hanging out with Patches. You know you can call me whenever you need me.”

George nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“Do you feel better now?”

“Yeah, a little bit.” George yawned and glanced at the clock beside his bed. “I’m tired.”

“Get some sleep, Georgie. I’ll stay until you fall asleep, alright?”

His heart warmed at the other mans thoughtfulness. “You don’t have to-”

Dream interrupted him. “It’s fine, George. I want to. Get some rest, okay?”

George flopped back into his covers, pulling them up to his chin and getting comfortable. “Goodnight, Dream.”

“Love you, Georgie.”


	4. Chapter Four

Dream had always loved George. From the day he met him he knew - this is someone I want to know for the rest of my life.

When he heard about George and Oliver, his heart broke. He saw the way George looked at the other when they were on a discord call, or when they streamed together. George looked at Oliver the way Dream looked at George - like he was everything he would ever need. So, putting his friend’s happiness before his own, he plastered on a smile and congratulated them both.

He was there when George needed him after an argument, and he provided his advice when he needed it. He was there when George was nervous about sleeping with his lover, anxious about whether or not he would be ‘good enough’ or that he would do something wrong. Dream had laughed and helped him through his worries, ignoring the way his heart sank everytime George mentioned how happy he was, how much he loved Oliver.

He hated the way his spirits rose when George told them they had broken up.

When George had called him in the middle of the night, having a panic attack and not being able to breathe, Dream had done what he could to help and had stayed on the phone until the other fell asleep. 

Even after everything that had happened, ‘Oliver’ was still the name George begged for in his sleep.

Buying a ticket to England was an impulse decision, and Clay wasn’t sure if he would regret it or not. So, like he always did, he went to Sapnap for advice.

“Hey, Nick,” Dream said once the other had answered the phone. Sapnap scoffed.

“Hey Clay,” he said, shuffling around a bit on the other line. “What’s up?”

Dream paced from where he stood in his kitchen, the white-washed counters scrubbed clean from his nervous cleaning. “I just bought a ticket to go see George.”

Silence.

“What the fuck did you just say?”

Dream laughed lightly and leaned against the countertop, elbows on the cold granite. “I just bought a ticket to England. I...I’m worried about George.”

“He’s going through a tough break-up man. He’ll be okay.”

“No , I just-” Dream sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair. “He called me last night. Having a panic attack. It really freaked me out, dude. I just don’t think he’s doing as fine as he says he is.”

Sapnap hesitated. “Panic attack? Why would he-”

“I don’t know.” Dream cut in, frowning. “It doesn’t make sense to me. I think he’s really struggling right now. I just...I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

“Dream,” Nick said carefully, trying to choose his words wisely. “You do realize you’re going to be stuck with an emotional Gogy, all alone, in his house, for God knows how long? How is your mental health going to come out of that?”

Dream grinned, pushing off the counter. “I know, I thought about that. But I have a solution.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re going to come with me.”

And, sure enough, three days later the two men found themselves on a plane flying across the ocean. They had seven hours to wonder how George would react to seeing them at his house. And Clay?

He had seven hours to figure out how he was going to keep his shit together while he stayed with the love of his life.


	5. Chapter Five

CW: Mentions of Self-harm

Two days passed. George hadn’t heard from Dream since the night of his panic attack, and had grown convinced he had scared the other man away. Numbness settled over his heart, and cuts settled over his skin as his addiction to self-harming grew. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Everyday felt the same to him: wake up, add to his collection of scars, wash the blood away, and then go back to his bed to ponder his existence.  
He often wondered what Oliver was out there doing. Wondered if he was happier with his new lover, if they were doing better than George was. Wondered if Oliver had already touched Edward, with that loving touch that used to caress George’s skin.  
George’s skin that was, currently, being put to use as a cutting board. The comparison made him laugh.  
Day one without Dream and his doorbell was ringing again. A man he didn’t recognize stood behind the door, wringing his hands nervously. George frowned at him and adjusted the blanket around his shoulders.  
“Can I help you with something?” He asked suspiciously. The other kicked at the ground, brown eyes avoiding his gaze.  
“You- you’re George, right?”  
George’s eyes narrowed. “And what about it? Who are you?”  
The man inhaled and looked up, finally meeting George’s gaze. “I’m Edward. Oliver’s boyfriend.”  
George’s eyes widened and he stared at the other in disbelief.  
“Listen, I know that you and Oliver were...together, and for a really long time, and it didn’t really sit right with me that he just left and I just wanted to make sure you were okay-”  
“You have got some type of nerve to show up at my door right now,” George broke in, fury rising in his throat. “You really think I want to see the face that my ex boyfriend cheated on me with?”  
Edward coughed awkwardly. “I just wanted to reach out and see if you were okay? I’m really sorry-”  
“You’re sorry?” George was stunned. “Sorry? He broke my heart and you’re sorry? I can’t fucking believe this. You’re joking right?”  
Edward frowned. “There’s no need to be hostile about it.”  
George laughed humorlessly. “Hostile? You haven’t even seen hostile, Edward. Do you know the kind of shit I’ve been going through because you can’t keep your hands to your own man? And you have the balls to show up at my door and say you’re sorry? What the hell is wrong with you?”  
Edward shot George a fiery glare. “Don’t pin this on me,” he said angrily. “This wasn’t my fault. Maybe if you had just done your job as someones boyfriend, we wouldn’t be in this position right now.”  
“He cheated on me,” George hissed, opening the door wider and getting closer to the other. “That isn’t something I did. That was all him. Him and you. Do not even think about blaming this on me.”  
Edward rolled his eyes, but George saw the way his hands shook as he took a step away from him. “Maybe Oliver was right,” he shot back. “You’re just an attention-seeking whore. Can’t even believe he wasted his time on you.”  
George felt the words go straight to his heart, shocking him to his core, but he didn’t let it show that it had affected him.  
“Get out of here,” he said, spitting at Edward’s feet. The man staggered back and glared at him in disgust. “Next time I see you here, I’ll call the police and report you for trespassing.”  
Edward’s eyes widened, and as he turned to leave he uttered two last words:  
“You’re crazy!”  
George smiled in satisfaction as he watched the man hurry down the stairs, waiting until he was gone before stumbling inside and slamming the door, sliding down to the floor and letting out a choked sob.  
Did Oliver really think that little of him?

That night, he received a call from an unknown number. With high hopes that it was Dream and that he had just gotten a new phone, he answered quickly and held the device up to his ear.  
“Dream?!”  
A short silence. “...No. It’s Olly. I wanted to talk to you about Edward.”  
George’s heart sank and he pressed his hand over his mouth. “Oh.” he whispered, hurt evident in his tone.  
“Listen, Georgie-”  
“Don’t-” George interrupted. “Don’t call me that. You lost that when you left me.”  
Oliver paused. “Alright,” he said softly, pain evident in his quiet tone. “I deserve that. Will you listen to me?”  
George nodded and sat up from where he had been laying in his bed. “I guess.”  
“Listen, Georgie- George. I…I know what I did was- I regret it, alright?”  
George’s eyes grew large.  
‘’I miss you, every day. I love you so much it hurts.”  
“Then why would you leave me?” George whispered, tears falling down his cheeks.  
“I can’t answer that. I don’t even know how to answer that. I just know that I love you so much, and every day without you is just....agony.”  
“You can’t keep doing this to me,” George said sadly. “You can’t keep leading me on like this. First you tell me there’s someone else, you break up with me, you call to check in on me and see how I am- Your new boytoy shows up at my house and tells me exactly what you’ve said about me, and now you’re telling me you still love me? It doesn’t make any sense, Oliver. You can’t keep this up, it’s killing me.”  
‘’Edward showed up at your house?” Oliver sounded scared. “What....what did he say?”  
George shook his head, his dirty hair falling across his face. He brushed it away in annoyance. “I don’t think that matters. I just know that...you can’t keep doing this to me. It’s just not fair. Please.”  
“George, I-”  
“Oliver,” George said softly. “Please. You...You need to stop calling. I can’t keep doing this with you anymore. I’m sorry.”  
With that, George hung up the phone and laid back down, his bed the only comfort he had these days. Too tired to cry, he simply allowed himself to drift off to sleep.  
He dreamt of warm arms holding him, and sweet nothings being whispered in his ear.

Day two without Dream wasn’t as eventful. Oliver had dropped off George’s cat, Cat, and left without having to see the other, appearing to obey George’s wishes and leaving him alone.  
Cat had purred contentedly as George held her, stroking behind her ears the way she liked. George smiled gently, holding her close to his chest. He had missed her.  
At least he wasn’t as alone anymore. Cat wouldn’t leave him.  
He went grocery shopping, bundling his frail body in many layers before venturing out into the bitter weather. He brought home food for Cat, some apples, and microwave dinners. He didn’t know how to cook.  
That had been Oliver’s job.  
He stopped in the park on his way home, sitting down on a bench with the paper bag holding his groceries resting in his arms. He watched silently at the ducks that swam in the small pond, wondering if they were as cold as he was. His hands were freezing - he couldn’t imagine what that water felt like.  
He stayed on the bench for a few minutes before continuing on his journey home, taking his time to enjoy the fresh air. He knew he wouldn’t have the motivation to leave his apartment again anytime soon.  
He would waste away in there.

Cat greeted him as he unlocked his front door, curling her tail around George’s ankle as he walked inside, kicking the door shut behind him.  
“Hey baby,” he cooed, setting the bag of groceries down on the kitchen counter so he could pick the tabby up. Patting her head gently, George smiled as she let out a loud purr and tucked her head beneath his chin.  
“Sorry baby,” he said quietly, setting the cat back down on the ground. Cat meowed at him and stalked off, tail flicking irritably. George breathed out a laugh and started putting away his groceries. 

As he ate an apple, he began to think.

CW: body image issues?

What did he do wrong?  
Maybe it was as simple as Oliver said - maybe he wasn’t doing his job in the bedroom. Maybe he just wasn’t attracted to him anymore? Was it the way he looked? George glanced down and slowly lifted his shirt, peering at his flat stomach. His ribs were visible. His bones peeked out at him through skin that was so pale it was nearly translucent. George dropped the apple into the trash and walked into the bathroom.

His hair was growing out, getting shaggy after weeks of not getting it cut. Patches of facial hair spotted his jawline - he hadn’t shaved in a while. He stared in disgust at himself.

No wonder Oliver left. Edward was definitely an upgrade from whatever he had become.

Pinching the nearly nonexistent skin around his stomach, George grimaced. Maybe that apple had been a bad idea. He was glad he had thrown it away now. He didn’t need to be gaining any more weight than he already had.

Maybe if he was prettier, Oliver would’ve stayed.

His doorbell rang late that night and before George could even get out of bed, he heard the front door pushing open. George’s heart pounded in his chest as he hurried out to the front room, comforter tucked around his shoulders.  
There stood Oliver, drenched to the bone from the rain that was pouring relentlessly outside. George couldn’t even say anything, too stunned to speak. Oliver shook his head, water flinging every which way.  
“George,” he said breathlessly, like he had ran the whole way here.  
“What are you doing here, Oliver?” George said, finally snapping out of his daze. His heart already hurt, knowing that whatever was about to happen couldn’t be good. “I told you, you can’t keep doing this. I asked you to leave me alone. I really meant that.”  
Hadn’t he locked his front door? How did he even get in?  
Oliver laughed and moved closer to George, who backed up until the backs of his knees hit the coffee table, nearly knocking him over. He could smell the alcohol from here.  
“I know you didn’t mean that, Georgie.”  
George grimaced. The man was clearly drunk and, despite still being in love with ihm, George had suddenly grown extremely uncomfortable by Oliver’s presence.  
“You should go,” George said nervously, looking anywhere but at the other. “You’re drunk.”  
Another laugh escaped from Oliver’s lips, and he leaned closer, their noses brushing. “Don’t make me go,” he breathed. “I ran all the way here. Help me get out of these clothes, will you?”  
George frowned and pushed Oliver away. He was so drunk that the small action nearly made him fall to the floor.  
“I don’t want you here, Oliver,” George said sternly. “You moved on, so please just let me do the same. Please leave.”  
Oliver braced himself on the arm of the sofa, glaring drunkenly at him. “Don’t you tell me what to do,” he slurred angrily. “You can’t just kick me out.”  
“You don’t live here anymore,” George said slowly. Oliver looked furious. He didn’t want to anger him anymore than he already was. “You need to leave.”  
Oliver opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, another voice joined them. Footsteps came closer down the hall.  
“George?”  
George’s eyes widened, immediately recognizing the yellow eyes that looked at him with confusion and concern. “Dream?” Behind him, someone new joined. “Sap? What the hell are you guys doing here?”  
Oliver, seemingly tired of being ignored, staggered over to George and gripped his shoulder tightly, hard enough to bruise.  
“So they get to stay, but I can’t?” He demanded. “Already moving on so fast, huh? I knew it. Whore.”  
George winced at the hold he had on his arm and pushed him away. “You can’t say that,” he said, eyes darting nervously over to where Clay and Nick stood, both looking ready to step in. “You moved on too. I didn’t know they were coming, I swear.”  
“Maybe you should leave, man,” Sapnap spoke up, Oliver’s head whipping around to shoot him an icy look/ “George doesn’t want you here. Get out.”  
While Oliver was busy with Sapnap, Dream made his way over to George and gently moved him further away from the drunk man.  
“What are you guys doing here?” George whispered, gaping at the blonde man. Dream shook his head and wrapped him up in a hug.  
“I’ll explain later,” He muttered into George’s ear, making the shorter shiver.  
“George!”  
George jumped and pulled away from Dream’s embrace. Oliver was staring at him again, tears now welling in his eyes. His mood swings were giving George whiplash.  
“You need to go. Now, please,” George murmured, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. “Don’t come back. I mean it.”  
Oliver gaped at him like a fish before closing his mouth and turning to leave.  
“I’ll see you soon, Georgie. Don’t miss me too much.”  
George twitched at the menacing tone - he had forgotten how rude Oliver got when he was drunk.  
The door slammed shut, the sound echoing through the apartment. The three of them were quiet for a moment before George spoke again.  
“What- what are you guys doing here? I didn’t know you were coming.”  
Nick grinned and hurried over to scoop George into a tight hug. “We were worried about you, Gogy,” he said excitedly. “So we took some time off so we could come and visit you for a while.”  
George looked back at Dream, who nodded his confirmation.  
“I’m sorry, I don’t have the guest room cleaned or set up or anything, I’ve barely got any food-” George stammered on, suddenly realizing he wasn’t mentally prepared to have his two closest friends here. Relief coursed through him as he took note of his baggy sweatshirt, which hid his arms perfectly.  
“Georgie, it’s fine,” Dream said assuringly. “One of us can sleep on the couch or something, and the other can sleep with you. Is that okay? Just until we get the guest room set up.”  
George rubbed his face. “I suppose,” He said through his palms, his words muffled.  
“Perfect!” Sapnap grabbed his and Dream’s bags and dragged them forward a bit. “Lead the way Georgie-poo!”  
George scoffed at the nickname before leading the two towards his room. Other than his messy bed, it was relatively clean, if you disregarded the shirts scattered across the floor.  
“Dream can stay in here with you,” Nick said, dropping two of the bags he was carrying onto the floor and quickly backing out of the room. “I’m going to go to bed, goodnight!”  
George blinked at how fast he left, letting the door click shut behind him. Dream moved his bags to the corner of the room and then turned back to George.  
As soon as his arms opened, George was in them, clutching at Clay’s shirt tightly with tears already falling. Dream held him close, whispering sweet words into his ear.  
“It’s okay,” he murmured, rubbing George’s back.  
“I’m here now.”


	6. Chapter Six

The first night Dream was with George, they talked.

George sat with his legs pulled up to his chest in the center of his bed, with Dream sitting beside him, hands in his lap.

“Why was he here?”

George blinked at the sudden question, not expecting it. “I- I don’t know. He just...walked in. I think he still has his key to the house.”

Dream nodded, forehead creasing in thought. “Okay. We’ll change the locks in the morning. I don’t like the idea of him just...walking in.”

George agreed, wrapping his arms around his knees. The two fell into silence again.

“When…”

Dream looked up as George began to speak.

“When did you buy your ticket to come here?”

Dream’s cheeks turned a bit pink and he picked nervously at his cuticles. “It was the night you called me,” he said, clearing his throat. “I was worried about you.”

George huffed out a laugh and fell backwards, laying out on the bed. Dream glanced back at him, eyebrows raised. George patted the spot next to him, and Dream laid down with him.

“I’m really glad you’re here, Clay.”

“Me too, Georgie.”

Sleeping was weird. It was like George had completely forgotten what it was like to sleep next to another human being.

Clay breathed softly beside him, curled up beneath the blankets with a pillow clutched tight to his chest. George smiled at the sight. He looked like a big baby.

Sighing, George rolled over to the other side, staring out the window at the dark sky. For once, his head was empty - he had nothing to think about. 

It was… kind of nice. 

Eventually, Clay’s warmth behind him and the soft sounds of his breathing lulled George to sleep.

“Wake up!”

George shot up in bed as a pillow hit his face, and he quickly whipped it off. Sapnap stood at the foot of his bed, laughing loudly at the discombobulated look on his face. Clay groaned beside him and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

“What time is it?” he muttered, blinking blearily at the two others in the room. Sapnap threw another pillow at him, making Dream sputter.

“It’s almost 1:00,’ he complained, picking up another pillow and holding it over his head. “You guys have been sleeping for forever. You left me all alone for hours.”

George smiled smally at Nick and slid out of bed, heading over to the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower. Why don’t you guys go eat something?”

The two boys nodded at him and George shut the bathroom door behind him, letting it lock shut.

TW: SH (please this might be graphic, don’t read if you don’t want to!)

The blade on the counter practically begged to be dragged across his skin, and who was George to say no? 

One, two, three times, the cuts growing in quantity on the pale skin of his thighs. The flesh there was clean, unmarked.

He hated it. Hated it, hated it, hated it-

“Hey, George?”

George gasped and dropped the razor blade, blood pooling around him on the floor. He swore under his breath - he had forgotten to lay a towel down. This would be a pain in the ass to clean up. 

He cleared his throat. “Yeah?” he called shakily, feeling slightly faint. Outside the bathroom door, Nick shuffled a bit before speaking once more.

“Um, Clay took all the eggs to make his nasty scrambled eggs, and then he drank the rest of the orange juice-”

“We can go grocery shopping later, Sap,” George said, his hands shaking a bit as he turned the shower on and limped under the water, hissing as the water hit his fresh cuts. “We can get stuff for you guys then, I promise.”

“Thanks, Georgie!”

George slid down to the shower floor and listened to Sapnap leave the bedroom before inhaling deeply and letting out a silent sob. Blood oozed slowly from the new gashes on his legs, and he traced the outline of them with a trembling hand.

Do it again. Go deeper, harder, it’s not enough, keep going-

George clutched the sides of his head, fingers tangling painfully in his hair. “Shut up,” he whispered. Water trickled over his head, scalding hot and burning his skin. “Be quiet.”

“I have it under control.”


	7. Chapter Seven

Oliver knew he was in the wrong here.

He may have been drunk last night, but the sight of George’s face, looking at him with fear and anger in his beautiful brown eyes, shook him to his bones. But he couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut, couldn’t seem to stop making things worse.

He wanted George back.

He would’ve had to have been blind to ignore the way that blonde man looked at George, his Georgie. The love in his eyes, the way he held George in his arms so tenderly, so carefully-

That just won’t do. 

Edward told him he was crazy, that he was just possessive. That he should just move on and be happy with him, how he was better than George. No one was better than George.

And that’s why he had to get him back. That’s why the blonde man - Clay - had to go. 

Nothing could get in his way. 

Possessiveness was a fickle word, and Oliver acted it out perfectly. 

He woke up the next morning with a raging headache that made him wince, the sunlight coming through the windows only amplifying his pain. Edward lay in bed beside him, scrolling through some social media that Oliver couldn’t care to look at.

“Good morning,” Edward said stiffly, sounding pissed. Oliver sat up and ran a hand through his hair. 

“Good morning.”

Ed put his phone down in his lap, clasping his hands together. “We need to talk.”

Oliver sighed and got out of bed. “Can it wait?” he said irritably, meandering over to the bathroom. “I’m not really in the mood.”

“But if it were George, this would be different, wouldn’t it?”

Oliver stopped, hand on the bathroom doorknob. “What?”

Edward stood up slowly, stretching his arms over his head. “You heard me,” he said, crossing his arms over his bare chest. “You treat him differently than you do me. You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”

Oliver barked out a dry laugh, opening the bathroom door and stepping inside. “Don’t be dumb,” he said smoothly. 

“Then why do you keep going back to him?”

Oliver shook his head. “I was drunk, Edward. I wasn’t thinking.”

“That’s the thing, Olly,” Edward snapped. “You never think when it comes to him. Every day, it’s the same shit - ‘I wonder how George is doing, I should call him, he probably isn’t caring for himself.’ All of this shit. Do you ever stop to think how that makes me feel?”

Oliver frowned. “We were together for two years, Ed,” he said. “Forgive me for not being completely over him. It’s only been a week.”

“And how long have we been together?” Edward pointed out, his eyes angry. “We were together two months before you finally ended it with George.”

Oliver turned around to face him, eyes narrowing. “Where are you going with this?” 

“You’re obsessed!” Edward cried, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. “You can’t ever stop talking about him, it’s always George this and George that - it’s embarrassing, Oliver!”

“I am not obsessed,” Oliver snapped, striding towards his lover and leaning down to get in his face. Edward took a shaky step back, his eyes clouding over with hesitance. “Don’t talk about things that you don’t understand. It’s not your business.”

“But it should be my business,” Edward shot back. “In case you can’t seem to remember, we’re dating, Olly. We love each other.”

Oliver said nothing. 

“Olly?”

“Don’t call me that,” he muttered, turning away to stalk back to the bathroom. Edward scoffed in disbelief. 

“You can’t even tell me you love me anymore. What happened?”

Oliver couldn’t reply, instead just letting the bathroom door click shut behind him. He turned the shower on and then gripped the sides of the sink, glaring heatedly at himself in the mirror. A dry laugh forced its way out of his mouth. 

Obsessed? He wasn’t obsessed. He was just...in love.

Right? 

Edward wouldn’t have anything to do with him for the rest of the day, shooting him glares every time he entered the same room of the house. This irritated him.

“Would you quit looking at me like that?” he said sharply, the fourth time this happened. Edward looked up from his spot on the couch and glared at him.

“Would you rather me look at you the way you look at George?”

Oliver clenched his jaw and left the room, grabbing his coat and keys before leaving the house. The door slammed shut behind him.

He was sick of this.

But it wasn’t going to be that easy for him to escape. The world hated him.

He had merely wanted to grab some things to make dinner for Edward, as a sort of apology. Why were they here at the exact same time?

George wasn’t smiling, but his eyes seemed a little lighter than they were when he had been over. His friends were laughing loudly, causing people to stare at them in the aisles of the shop.

Oliver ducked behind a display of fruits and watched as they walked past him. They were talking about some coding project that he didn’t understand. George was checking out some sort of sauce packet, seeming to not be too interested.

He couldn’t help himself.

“George?”


	8. Chapter Eight

He couldn’t have one normal day, could he?

He thought it would just be a normal trip, get in, get the groceries they needed, and get out.

Why did Oliver have to be everywhere?

“George?”

He cringed, shoulders rising defensively at the sound of Oliver’s voice. He turned slowly, noting the fact that Sapnap and Dream had gone silent behind him. 

“Oliver,” he said with false pleasantness. “I...didn’t expect to see you here.”

Oliver laughed, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I didn’t expect to see you here either.”

An awkward silence consumed the four of them for a brief moment.

“Can I talk to you for a second, Georgie?” Oliver asked, glancing at the two behind his ex lover. “Alone?”

George hesitated, glancing back at his friends before he nodded. “Just for a second, I suppose.”

Oliver beamed. “Great. Let’s head outside.”

George agreed and handed Dream his wallet. “Get the rest of the stuff we need,” he said quietly. “I’ll be back in a second.”

“Are you going to be okay?” Clay asked, eyeing him with concern. George’s stomach twisted strangely at his concern. 

“I’ll be fine,” he confirmed. “This’ll only take a minute.”

Dream nodded and Sapnap smiled at him briefly before George turned to follow Oliver outside. 

This could only go one way.

“What did you want to talk about?” George said once he had caught up to the other man. Oliver rubbed his arm.

“I wanted to apologize.”

George’s brow shot up in surprise. “Apologize?” he said, stunned. Oliver rarely apologized, being the type to always assume he was in the right.

“For last night.” Oliver clarified. George nodded at him to continue. “I was...drunk. And I said some things I didn’t mean. I’m sorry, Georgie.”

George shook his head. “I asked you not to call me that,” he said sternly. “What was your deal last night, Oliver? You quite literally broke into my house. You called me a whore!”

Oliver grimaced and clasped his hands together. “I know,” he said uncomfortably. “It was...awful of me, to say something like that to you of all people. I just…”

“What, Oliver?” George said, getting impatient. 

“I miss you, Georgie.”

George groaned loudly, causing a few passerby to glance at him curiously. “We’ve been over this,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “You can’t keep dragging me around like this. It’s not fair, Oliver.” 

“I know, and you know I wouldn’t say something like that if I didn’t mean it!”

“But you would,” George said heatedly. He was sick of this conversation already. “I love you Oliver, but you make it really hard to. You do this all the time! It’s exhausting! Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

Oliver frowned. “What, so you can go ahead and get with that blonde guy?” He laughed when George blinked at him in confusion. “Don’t at dumb. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

George shook his head. “I shouldn’t even have to explain myself to you, but Dream is a friend. Him and Sap flew down here to help me out for a while. I wasn’t expecting them, but I’m glad they did.”

Oliver rolled his eyes. “You’ve always been blind, George,” he said in amusement. George knit his brows at the condescending tone. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Oliver waved his hand through the air dismissively. “That’s not relevant. I just wanted to tell you that I miss you. And...if you’re willing to? I want to try to fix this. I want to get back together.”

George walked home in silence, listening to Sapnap and Dream mess around in front of him, shoving each other around on the sidewalk with paper bags in their arms. 

Get back together? What the fuck was Oliver thinking? After everything he’s done - showing up at his house, twice, calling him a whore, throwing Edward in his face, cheating on him - he still expected George to take him back?

What was worse is that George was seriously considering it. 

“Hey, Gogy!”

George looked up and saw Sapnap bouncing towards him, a gallon of milk swinging in his hand and a bag of groceries clutched in his arm like a soccer ball. He managed to force a small smile.

“Hey, Sappy Nappy,’’ he said fondly. 

“Do you want to watch a movie when we get home?” Nick asked excitedly. “Dream’s never seen the Purge movies before because he’s a pussy-”

“I don’t like horror movies, Sap!”

“Yeah yeah, you big baby,” Sapnap shrugged the comment off. “Anyways, is that okay with you? Watch Clay piss himself on your couch?”

George grimaced. “If he’s pissing on the couch, he sure as hell better be the one cleaning it up.”

Sapnap laughed and Dream protested loudly from in front of them. George smiled faintly before it faded.

What was he going to do about Oliver?


	9. Chapter Nine

TW: graphic depictions of gore and violence

The Purge was not a good movie.

Dream grimaced as yet another person screamed in agony, dropping dead to the ground with blood pooling around their body, a gaping wound in their stomach. His stomach twisted and turned uncomfortably at34 the sounds, closing his eyes in discomfort. 

“Hey,” George whispered from beside him, leaning in closer so he could speak without Sapnap hearing. “Are you okay?”

Dream looked at him, easily losing himself in the rich brown of his eyes, the light dusting of freckles across his nose. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said breathlessly, voice quiet. 

On the TV, Clay jumped violently as another high pitched shriek echoed across the room and yet another body dropped dead. George snickered.

“You’re such a baby,” he muttered, reaching over to pat Dream’s shoulder, Dream tensed at the touch, his cheeks turning a wonderful shade of pink. George didn’t notice.

He never did.

Dream sighed quietly and turned his eyes back to the gruesome movie.

Love was hard.

He wasn’t exactly sure what to do anymore. Dream was in love with George - who was still painfully in love with Oliver. Oliver, who couldn’t seem to leave George alone. As the movie went on, Dream recalled the conversation the three of them had had in the kitchen while they waited for the popcorn to pop.

“What did Oliver want, Gogy?” 

Surprisingly, Sapnap had been the one to bring it up. George ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the counter.

“He wants to get back together.” he said bluntly, staring at the kitchen tiles. Sapnap choked. 

“And tell me you did not say yes,” Nick demanded, looking appalled. George shook his head and a whoosh of relief fell through Clay’s stomach. 

“I told him I’d think about it.”

Nick looked angry. Dream just sighed and turned away, unable to add his piece to the story. 

“You can’t get back together with him, George,” Nick said desperately, glancing over at Dream. “He’s a lunatic!”

George tilted his head in confusion. “How?”

Dream laughed, the sound erupting from his throat without any warning. “How? He broke into your house, George. Did you forget that? Not to mention how he shows up literally everywhere.” Dream shook his head. “It’s like he’s stalking you or something.”

Now it was George’s turn to laugh. “He’s not stalking me,” he said, though he sounded a little unsure. “He was drunk the other night, and anyone can show up at the store.”

“He cheated on you!” Sapnap exclaimed. “He called you crude names, he bruised your shoulder-”

George grimaced at the reminder, rolling his shoulder slowly. Dream huffed, irritated. 

Why was it so hard for him to see?

“Oliver is not a good person, Georgie,” Dream said quietly. “He’ll only hurt you again and again. He’s not going to change.”

George shot Dream a look, making him wince at the coldness of it. “You don’t even know him,” he said angrily. “Don’t speak on things you don’t understand.”

Dream blinked, anger rising in him like a flood, but he clamped his mouth shut.

He didn’t want to say something hurtful.

Sapnap tossed him a look full of pity. “We only want what’s best for you, George,” he said gently, turning back to the stove as the popcorn began to pop. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

Dream focused back into real time as another yell shot out from the TV. More people had died since he had last tuned in.

Don’t speak on things you don’t understand.

Dream frowned. He did understand. 

He understood that Oliver was a weird man, obsessed with George to an almost concerning point. If only George could see that. How could he make him see that?

“I’m tired,” he said suddenly, shooting up from the couch. The other two looked up at him in surprise. “I’m going to go to bed.”

“Too scared to finish the rest of the movie?” Sapnap teased. Dream smiled and nudged his friend's leg with his knee as he walked past. 

“I’m just tired, Snapmap,” he said, patting George on the head when he passed by behind the couch. “Goodnight Georgie.”

“Night, Clay.”

Clay was still awake when George opened the bedroom door an hour later, but he merely slowed his breathing and pretended to be asleep. He didn’t want to talk tonight.

“Clay?” George whispered. Dream said nothing. George moved around the room a bit, and Dream heard some clothes shuffling as George changed into his sleepwear. The bed sank down a bit as the man crawled into the bed beside him, moving around beneath the blankets until he was comfortable. 

The two were quiet for a moment before George spoke up, his words so quiet that Dream could hardly hear him.

“I’m not getting back together with Oliver. I think...he would ruin me if I did.”

Clay relaxed minutely, relief coursing through his body.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without him though,” George said quietly. “It’s been forever since I’ve had to do anything without him there with me.”

Dream gave up on trying to pretend to be asleep, too many thoughts going through his head to keep quiet. He rolled over, facing George and locking eyes with him. 

“That’s what me and Sap are here for,” he said gently. “We’re here to help, Georgie.”

George looked down, not meeting his eyes. “I feel bad,” he admitted. “You guys have lives outside of being here. I’m just...a nuisance.”

Dream shook his head and, after a moments hesitation, reached out to grab George’s hand. George paused before curling his fingers around Dreams, making the blonde mans heart swell.

“You’re not a nuisance, Georgie,” he said earnestly. “You’re our best friend - we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t love you, and care for your wellbeing. We’ll be here with you, every step of the way.”

Dream’s eyes widened with panic as George’s eyes welled with tears, sliding down his pale cheeks. “Wait, wait, wait, did I say something-”

George gave him a watery laugh and swiped the tears away, squeezing his hand. “No, no, I’m just...Overwhelmed I guess.” George sniffed and ran a hand under his eyes. “Jesus, I’m such a crybaby.”

Dream laughed and moved a bit closer. George’s cheeks turned pink at the proximity, but he didn’t move away. Their breath mingled together warmly.

“Are you okay?” Dream asked gently. George blinked and nodded.

“I’m just really lucky to have you here, Clay. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Dream pondered that for a second. “Well, for starters, you’d probably be getting back with the douchebag right around now.”

They laughed together, shifting closer without even realizing. Their knees bumped, shooting electricity up Dream’s spine. He squeezed George’s hand again, grinning when he squeezed back.

“Love you, Georgie,” Clay smiled, holding George’s gaze steadily. George inhaled sharply.

“Goodnight, Clay.”


	10. Chapter Ten

When George woke up the next morning, he was...exceptionally warm. He groaned softly and shifted a bit, stretching his arms up as high as he could before opening his eyes, blinking blearily. He glanced to his left.

There lay Dream, his arm thrown over George’s chest and his legs tangled around George’s, his blonde hair flopped out all around the pillow he was using. The sun from the window shone right along his cheek, illuminating the little bit of drool that had escaped his mouth as he snored.

Pretty.

George frowned and shook his head. “What the hell?” He muttered, slowly twisting away from Clay’s grasp and getting out of bed. 

Where did that come from? 

CW: body image, sh, panic attack and mentions of vomit.

He walked into the bathroom and, as he turned the shower on and began to undress, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. A gasp escaped his lips.

He was even thinner than he had been the last time he had looked, really looked, at himself. He had to have weighed around 120 pounds by now. He was a skeleton.

The scars on his arms and legs were prominent against his pale skin, becoming more and more difficult to hide. They practically shone under the fluorescent lights of the bathroom. He felt tears welling in his throat.

What had he become? He looked disgusting.

But that didn’t stop him from laying a towel out on the bathroom floor and opening the bottom drawer under the sink. The blade seemed heavier than usually, and as he carved into his skin George felt guilt weighing heavy on his chest. It pressed right where his heart was, making it hard for him to breathe. He took in a few shaky, gasping breaths, trying to calm his racing heart before this turned into a full-blown panic attack.

Too late.

A knock sounded at the door, and Clay’s voice drifted through the wood. “Georgie? You in there?”

Georgie heaved, vomit rising in his mouth as the scent of copper and his struggle to breathe mixed together. He hurriedly crawled over to the toilet and gagged into it. Clay knocked again.

“Georgie? You okay?”

George gagged again into the toilet before managing to speak. “I’m fine, Clay,” he called weakly. “Go away.”

So of course Dream opened the bathroom door and walked in, disregarding the fact that George had said no.

“What the-” Dream’s yellow eyes grew large, taking in the blood smeared across the bathroom floor from when George had crawled over to the toilet. His eyes landed on George, who was still throwing up into the toilet and trying to find the energy to breathe properly. 

“Whoa, whoa whoa, Georgie,” Dream said, his words rushed as he shut the bathroom door behind him and hurried to kneel beside him. “It’s okay, you’re fine, just breath.”

George shoved at him weakly, his stomach clenching tightly. “Get out of here,” he rasped. His watery eyes were making it hard for him to see the blonde man, but he attempted a glare nonetheless.

Dream shook his head and rubbed circles into his back. “I’m not going anywhere. Just take a deep breathe in for me alright? Like this-” Dream inhaled slowly through his nose, looking at George to prompt him into doing the same. George followed his lead, keeping an eye on Dream’s breathing patterns by following the rise and fall of his chest. Dream gently grabbed George by the waist and moved him a bit so that he was leaning against the wall beside the toilet before sitting next to him and gently picking up his hand. George’s heart squeezed tightly at the small gesture, his heart rate finally slowing down a bit as he continued to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth.

Dream stood up and walked over to the sink, looking in the drawers for something before he found what he needed. “Let me see your leg,” he whispered, sitting back down at George’s side. George shook his head stubbornly, pulling his bleeding leg up to his chest. Blood quickly poured out from the wound he had created, spilling all over his front.

“George,” Dream said, a bit louder now. “Let me see it. Now.”

George shook. “I don’t want you too,” he muttered, trembling a bit with the effort it took him to not start bawling and allow Clay to comfort him. “It’s embarrassing.” 

Clay sighed and reached out, grabbing George’s face between both of his hands and gently turning his head towards him. George’s cheeks burned at the contact, and he ignored the way his stomach leaped pleasantly at the touch.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Georgie,” Clay said, using his thumb to brush the tears out from under George’s eyes. “We’ll...definitely talk about it at some point. But, right now, just let me clean it up. Please. You’re making it worse.”

George exhaled shakily before nodding, extending his leg out so that it was flat on the ground. The cut was deeper than he usually did them, right on the edge of his boxers. Dream inhaled through his teeth at the sight before grabbing the cloth he had taken from under the sink and wetting it in the shower, which had long since gone cold. George whined as the cloth touched his skin, sending sparks of pain shooting up his spine as Clay carefully wiped away the blood so he could bandage the cut.

“Sorry,” Dream murmured, pausing for a second so George could get more comfortable. George breathed slowly before nodding at Clay, who starting wiping up the blood once more. George grit his teeth to prevent anymore sounds from escaping his lips.

It was a slow process - the cleaning, and then the bandaging. Clay had turned pink before pushing the leg of George’s boxers up minutely to wrap the bandage around his thigh securely. George watched him in amusement, the pain dulling to a throb as Clay tied the bandage off and sighed. His hands were stained red.

“Thank you,” George said, watching as Dream picked up the rest of the bandages and put them back under the sink. Dream shugged and sat back down next to George, leaning against the wall.

“Can we talk about it now?”

George shrugged awkwardly. “There’s not much to talk about.”

“George.”

“I’m serious!”

Clay shook his head and grabbed George’s arm, painfully exposing all the white scars and still healing cuts on his forearms. “What’s this then?” he demanded.

George yanked his arm back and scowled at him. “It’s nothing, Dream,” he snapped defensively. Dream sighed and looked down at his hands, which were still stained red. 

“Why do you do it?”

“Why does anyone do it?” 

Dream huffed and gently nudged George with his foot. “How long has this been going on?”

George didn’t see any point in lying. “Since Oliver left.”

“That’s nearly two weeks, Georgie!”

“I know.”

Dream picked up his hand again and squeezed it. “I know there’s not really anything I can say, but…”

George tightened his fingers around Clay’s. “What?”

“Will you tell me? When you feel like you need to? I just want to help you, Gogy. I love you.”

George turned bright red. “You can’t just say that!”

They laughed together, heads leaning towards each other slightly. George let himself bask in Dream’s warmth for a moment before speaking.

“Yeah. I’ll tell you, alright?”

Dream grinned happily and squeezed his hand tight.

“Hey! What the fuck are you guys doing in there?”

The two of them jumped as Sapnap yelled at them through the door.

“Nothing!” Dream called back, getting to his feet and then helping Georgie up. Sapnap gasped dramatically. 

“Is Dreamnotfound finally coming true? Oh, wait until I tell Twitter-”

“Sapnap!”


	11. Chapter Eleven

It was late at night when Oliver’s phone rang. Two days had passed since his conversation with George at the grocery store, and while he understood the man’s hesitation, he didn’t think it would take him this long to make up his mind. 

Nevertheless, as soon as his phone lit up with the call, George excused himself from where he sat on the sofa with Edward and left the house, standing outside on the porch.

“Georgie,” he greeted enthusiastically. “Hey. I was beginning to wonder when you’d call.”

George hummed on the other line. “I wasn’t sure whether I should even call in the first place.”

Oliver frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

A long, tense silence strung out between them before George sighed.

“I’ve made up my mind. I… don’t want to get back together with you, Oliver.”

Oliver’s heart sank and he had to sit down on the porch steps to regain his bearings. “What- what did I do wrong?” he asked, his voice strained. 

“What did you do right, Oliver? You’re the one who cheated on me in the first place. I just think it’s best for both of us if we...move on.” George coughed awkwardly. “You’re with Edward now. Does he even know you asked to get back with me?”

Oliver’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not any of your concern,” he said, words cold. 

“But it should be his, right? Treat him better, Oliver. I’m sure he’s great.”

Oliver shook his head. “You don’t understand,” he protested, tugging in frustration on his hair and gripping the phone tight. “He’s not you, Georgie.”

“Then maybe you should’ve treated me better while you had the chance. I’m going to block your number now, Oliver. I really wish the two of you the best.” George hesitated before speaking again. 

“Goodbye.”

Oliver felt his heart squeeze painfully as George hung up, and he dropped his hand into his lap, staring in shock at his phone screen. 

“Do you want to explain what that was about, or are you just going to let me assume?”

Oliver glanced back behind him. Edward stood in the doorway, leaning against the door with his arms crossed. Oliver swore under his breath. 

“Listen, Ed-”

“I really don’t feel like listening to your excuses, Oliver,” Edward snapped. “Tell me what that was about. Go on.”

Oliver got to his feet, an apologetic look on his face. “Ed, I’m really sorry, I just-”

“You want to get back together with George,” Ed nodded, tears welling in his eyes. “I get it, don’t worry. Go to him, then.”

Oliver shook his head, reaching out to grasp Edward’s hands. “He turned me down, Ed,” he said quietly. “He...told me to treat you better.”

Edward pulled his hands away, wiping his tears off his cheeks and sniffling a bit. “You would’ve left me, just for him,” he said disbelievingly. “Without even saying anything. You would’ve just left. That’s fucked up, Oliver.”

“Ed, please-”

Edward held a hand up, and Oliver stopped talking. 

“Please, just leave. I can’t even look at you right now.”

Oliver’s brows shot up in confusion. “Where am I supposed to go?” he called as Edward walked back inside, watching as he slowly shut the door. 

“I’m sure you’ll find someone. After all, you can’t seem to be faithful to one person to save your life, right?”

Oliver watched with his eyes wide as Edward shut the front door, locking it shut behind him.

The wind picked up a bit, making Oliver shiver as he made his way out onto the sidewalk. There was only one place he could go this time of night.

The bar down the street was always opened, and the bartender recognized him right away. 

“Back again, Olly?”

Oliver nodded and took a seat at the counter, slumping with emotional exhaustion. He felt drained. “Nice to see you again, Stephen.” He glanced around, noting how empty the place was. “Busy night, huh?”

Stephen laughed as he mixed Oliver’s usual drink and placed it in front of him. Oliver downed it in one go. 

“Tough night?”

“You could say that. Could you keep them coming?”

“Sure thing, Olly.”

By the time the bar had started filling up with late-night drinkers, Oliver was straight plastered and not thinking straight at all.

Which definitely explained why he was standing at George’s doorstep, glaring up at the door with a menacing look in his eyes. 

George needed to pay.

George had felt weight lift from his rather thin shoulders as he hung up the phone, immediately going into his contacts list to block and delete Oliver’s number. Sitting on either side of him on the sofa, Dream and Sapnap both grinned at him and hugged him close.

“We’re proud of you, Gogy,” Sapnap said happily. “This is going to be great - Dream and I can stay here for a while and you can show us all the british shit you got here, like ferris wheels and tea and those weird guard guys with the really tall hats-”

George laughed from beneath them, their arms completely encompassing his small frame. “Yeah, whatever you say, Sappitus Nappitus,” he joked, his eyes seeming a bit brighter than they were before calling Oliver. 

He felt better, more free. Like he wasn't being held back anymore.

Dream squeezed him tight and moved a bit closer to whisper in his ear. “I’m proud of you, Georgie.”

George turned pink and he shivered, quickly moving away from the group hug to stand and walk into the kitchen. He opened the fridge under the guise of being hungry. “What do you guys want to do for dinner?”

Sapnap slid into the room, grasping at the counters as he nearly fell. “Can we have grilled cheese?” he said excitedly, eyes wide. George chewed his bottom lip and checked the fridge again to see if they had the ingredients they needed.

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed. Nick cheered loudly, and Clay laughed as he joined them, leaning against the counter and watching closely as George pulled out everything he needed from the fridge.   
It took George only a few minutes to make the toasted sandwiches, much to Sapnap’s delight. The three of them crashed on the couch again, their plates og gooey goodness resting in their laps. Dream put on some cheesy action movie and they ate their food while they watched. 

CW: Violence and mentions of blood

The doorbell rang in the midst of the three of them laughing at a ridiculous scene, and George set his plate on the coffee table. 

“Be right back,” he chuckled, walking over to the door and pulling it open.

His eyes grew wide and he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could a fist flung out at him and clipped him right across the cheek. George yelped and stumbled back, falling onto the floor, his hand flying to his cheek. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

“George!” 

Oliver towered over George, a furious look in his eyes. The stench of alcohol fell off of him in waves. George trembled and watched as the man walked closer.

Before he could, however, Sapnap flew in out of nowhere and tackled Oliver to the ground, punching him straight in the mouth.

“Take George back to the bedroom,” he ordered, looking over at Dream who was already helping George up. “I’ll take care of this out here.”

George’s eyes widened in fear as Oliver flung his arms up, catching his fingers on Sapnap’s hair and tugging him violently to the ground. Oliver got to his feet again and set his sights on George, but before he could get too far, Sapnap pulled him down to the ground again.

“Go!” he shouted.

“Come on, Georgie,” Dream whispered, sounding nervous. “He’ll be fine, I promise. We’ll call someone when we’re in the room.”

George allowed Dream to lead him back to his bedroom, watching distantly as the door was locked and Dream helped him onto the bed. He refocused when Dream sat beside him and pulled him carefully into his arms. It was at this moment when George realized he was shaking violently.

“You’re okay, Georgie,” Clay whispered, holding him close. He held his phone in his hand, already on the line with the authorities. George blushed red when Clay dropped a kiss into his hair and tightened his hold. Butterflies swarmed in his stomach, and though he knew this was an awful time to reach this sort of revelation, it was here he realized something.

He liked Dream.

It made sense, the way his skin tingled when the other touched him, the way his cheeks turned pink when Dream smiled or laughed. 

George jumped a little as Dream hung up the phone and tossed it to the side. “The police are on their way.” he said, smiling gently at George, who was still cradled against his chest. George nodded and pressed his head closer, listening to the steady throb of Clay’s heart beating. It seemed abnormally quick, but George wasn’t a doctor so he didn’t comment on it.

They stayed like that for nearly ten minutes before they heard more voices in the living room, and then Sapnap yelling at them to come out.

He looked a mess, but he was grinning.

“Nick!” George gasped, his eyes being pulled towards the cut on Sapnap’s lip and the bruise already blooming on his cheek. 

“I’m fine, Gogy,” Sapnap laughed, accepting the hug that George gave him. “You should see the other guy.”

Dream laughed, and Sapnap raised a brow at him over George’s head. Dream shrugged and smiled.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Snapmap,” he teased. “Always the hero, aren’t you?”

Sapnap protested loudly at the nickname and George pulled away from their embrace to laugh, watching from the hall as police handcuffed Oliver and led him out of the apartment. A vase was broken - “I knocked it over his head,” Sapnap pointed out proudly - but that was about the extent of the damage.

Oliver looked like a wreck, both his eyes bruised and his lips bloodied. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor as he looked back at George, who flinched back a bit.

He never thought he would stoop this low, to want to actually, physically injure George. This was something he never could’ve predicted.

The police asked them all a few questions before leaving as well. Oliver would be locked up for assault and breaking and entering. A wave of relief crashed over George at this news - he wouldn’t have to deal with him any longer.

Dream insisted on icing Sapnap’s cheek with an ice pack before they all decided to head to bed.

George slipped into his sweats silently, deep in thought about a few things.

He hadn’t expected any sort of feelings to arise for someone new so soon after being dumped, especially if those feelings were for Dream. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, let alone what to do about it. Was it even appropriate for him to move on so fast?

George shook his head and frowned as he followed Clay into the bed, pulling the covers close around himself. No. He wouldn’t say anything, do anything to let Dream know about this interesting development. 

Hopefully, before long, these feelings would fade before Dream left to go back to Florida, saving him a whole lot of trouble.

His plan grew more complicated as he woke up early in the morning, laying on his side with Dream’s arm thrown around his waist, holding him close to his chest. George’s cheeks burned at their proximity, and attempted to move away only for Clay to grunt and pull him closer, moving his legs to fold around George’s. George sighed in defeat - not that he tried very hard to move away in the first place - and relaxed into Dream’s hold, snuggling a bit closer into his warmth.

Behind him, Dream’s eyes opened and he smiled, tightening his hold minutely and resting his chin on top of George’s head.

Both of them sighed contentedly and fell back asleep, charmed by the others' embrace.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Waking up with George held tightly in his arms gave Dream a sense of euphoria he never thought he’d ever feel. 

The blonde man stirred from his rest slowly, his arms catching on George’s waist as he attempted to stretch them above his head. He blinked in surprise and looked down, smiling at the sight.

George was still fast asleep, a peaceful look on his face as he breathed softly. He held Dream’s arms close to his chest which, Dream realized with dismay, was extremely bony. He frowned at the small bruise beneath his lip from where Oliver had hit him last night. He pulled George a bit closer and pressed his nose into his neck, eyes shut tight.

If only he had been a little quicker, George wouldn’t have been hit. Guilt settled over his stomach like a heavy weight.

But George still breathed steadily in his arms, a small smile over-taking his face as he dreamed. Clay smiled with him, adoring the man he loved silently.

He didn’t want this to ever end.

So he laid there, scrolling through his phone with one hand, the other still wrapped protectively around George, who slept on and on for a few more hours before showing signs of waking. Dream contemplated moving before deciding not to, and continuing to look through twitter. George groaned loudly and stretched, letting go of Dream’s arms to do so before he realized where he was. He flipped over and Dream quickly took note of the blush that spread across his cheeks and throat.

“Good morning,” he said casually. George quickly sat up and held the blankets close to his chest.

“Good morning,” he said quickly, standing up and tossing the covers on the floor. Dream sat up and watched as the other stumbled around the bedroom, muttering to himself as he grabbed clothes and shut himself in the bathroom. Dream was about to let him go before he remembered the last time George had shut himself in the bathroom.

“Hey,” he called carefully, getting up and walking over to the door. “Are you...going to be okay in there?”

He heard shuffling around and realized George was probably undressing. He turned red at the thought and quickly cleared his head, opting to think about something else.

“I’m fine!” George called back, turning the shower on. “I’ll be out in a few minutes!”

Clay nodded, satisfied enough, and left the bedroom, going to find Sapnap.  
.  
As expected, Nick was already in the kitchen, sitting at the counter over a bowl of cereal with Twitter pulled up on his phone.

“Good morning,” Dream said, heading to the fridge and pulling out a carton of juice. He screwed off the top and poured some into a glass, taking a small sip from it and sitting next to his friend. Sapnap mumbled back the greeting, handing Dream his phone.

“Have you seen this?

“Seen what?” Dream took the phone and glanced at the screen. He immediately let out an exasperated sigh.

It was another meme about Dream’s shoes.

Sapnap burst out laughing, smacking the counter in hysteria. “They never get old!” He cried. Dream huffed and gave the phone back with a roll of his eyes.

Once Sapnap calmed down, he said, “What’s going on with you and George?”

Dream glanced at him from over his glass of juice, swallowing his sip before speaking. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. Everytime I look away, you guys are always cuddling or some shit. What’s that about?”

Dream shrugged. “Just for comfort, I guess. It’s not a big deal, Sap.”

“What’s not a big deal?”

Both men looked up as George entered the kitchen, a towel draped over his still wet hair. Dream turned bright red.

He was wearing one of his sweatshirts.

George noticed where his eyes were looking at and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “All of mine were dirty, so I just borrowed one of yours. Do you mind?”

“Of course not!” Dream said quickly. “It- it looks...good on you.”

Both men looked away and Sapnap laughed at them both. “You guys are so weird,” he teased, dumping the rest of his cereal down the sink and walking over to George, who wheezed as Sapnap draped himself over his back.

“Get off, you ape!” he gasped, pushing Nick off with a laugh. “God!”

Sapnap flung his arm over George’s shoulders, leading him into the living room. “I’m injured, Gogy,” he whined, tossing them both down on the couch. “We have to do what I want or else I won’t get better.”

George looked over at Dream and rolled his eyes, making him smile. 

“And what do you want to do, Sapnap?”

“Watch movies! Can we have a movie day, please, please, please?”

Dream sat next to George on the couch and, after a moment of consideration, intertwined their fingers. George went red again, but didn’t pull away. Butterflies flew in Dream’s stomach.

“Movies, right,” George said, now flustered. He grabbed the remote for the TV and quickly turned it on. “What do you want to watch?”

In the middle of the second Hunger Games movie, Nick passed out on the couch, snoring loudly with his mouth wide open. George and Dream were watching the movie quietly, hands still entwined. 

Dream looked over at George and studied him, glancing away quickly when George looked at him.

“Dream?” he whispered, tugging on his hand a little. Dream looked back at him, embarrassed. 

“Yeah?” he whispered back. George smiled faintly at him.

“Do you mind if I...lean on you? I’m a little tired.”

Dream might’ve died and gone to heaven right there. He hoped the way he nodded wasn’t too enthusiastic. George’s smile grew a little bit and he shifted around, tucking himself neatly against Dream’s side. Clay cautiously wrapped his arm around George, growing more comfortable when the other man didn’t move. George reached up to the back of the couch and pulled the blanket off the back of it, dragging it over both of their laps before reaching over to grab Clay’s hand again.

By this point, Dream’s heart was nearly in his throat, pounding nervously beneath his skin. He sighed happily and rested his head on top of George’s inhaling the scent of his shampoo that still lingered. 

Soon, all three of them were sleeping happily on the sofa, the light from the TV flickering as the movie played in the background.

It was finally peaceful.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

TW: Mentions of SH 

George wasn’t sleeping. How could he, with Dream wrapped around him, holding him so warmly, affectionately? His head spun, unable to cope with these new emotions.

Absently, George scratched at the new cuts on his arms, wincing as his nails caught on the dried blood. Guilt settled in his gut as he remembered his promise to Clay, to tell him if he ever felt like harming. Obviously, he hadn’t kept it.

Dream mumbled something in his sleep and moved, leaning further into the couch and pulling George with him. George blushed furiously, as his back was pressed to Dream’s chest, between his legs. 

Sapnap snorted in his sleep from the other end of the couch, half of his body hanging off the edge. George smiled.

He didn’t deserve them.

His thoughts returned to Dream, who was still holding him close, his breath tickling George’s ear. George stifled a giggle, not wanting to wake either of them.

Vaguely, he noted Clay’s arms wrapping themselves around his waist, but was too deep in thought to really react to it.

His feelings for Clay were new. He didn’t know if he genuinely liked him, or if he just missed the comfort of another human, comfort that Dream had so readily supplied, without George even having to ask. 

George huffed, getting frustrated with himself. He had been with Oliver for so long that he had forgotten what it was like to feel anything for anyone other than him. He didn’t know what to do, couldn’t remember what to do. All he knew is that his heart wanted Clay, regardless of his head telling him that he was wrong.

“Georgie? Are you okay?”

George jumped, his hand flying to his mouth to quiet the small yelp that escaped his lips. Sapnap watched in amusement as George exhaled heavily.

“Jesus, Sapnap,” he whispered harshly. “What’s the matter with you?”

Sapnap shrugged and sat up, wrapping his blanket around his shoulders as he faced George. “What are you doing up?” he asked. “It’s pretty late, isn't it?”

“I’m just thinking,” George said, rubbing his eyes.

“About Dream?”

George’s mouth fell open with a small pop at Nick’s bluntness, but he quickly closed it. “What makes you think that?”

Sapnap laughed and gestured for him to move closer. George carefully moved Clay’s arms from around his stomach, placing a pillow in them so Dream wouldn’t notice, and went to sit beside his other friend. 

Sapnap smiled reassuringly at him.

“You like him, don’t you?”

George wrung his hands and sank deep into the couch.

“There’s no point in denying it,” Sapnap laughed. “It’s so painfully obvious.”

George winced. “It’s not like I meant for it to happen,” he mumbled, picking at his nail. “I just-”

“You don’t have to explain yourself. I’m just wondering what you plan to do about it.”

“Nothing,” George said quickly. “I’m not going to do anything about it. I’m going to just...wait it out, let my feelings go away on their own.”

Sapnap frowned deeply, looking deeply troubled by this statement. “Why would you do that?”

George shook his head. “You don’t get it, Sap,” he said. “I can’t just...move on so fast like that. Plus, I don’t think Clay could ever like me like that. I don’t want to ruin our friendship.” 

“I get that,” Nick said carefully. “But what makes you think that he doesn’t feel the same way.”

George laughed humorlessly. “Come on,” he said dryly. “Dream’s as straight as they come. Have you seen the way the man dresses?”

“Clothes aren’t always accurate,” Nick pointed out, shooting George a look. “You never know, Georgie. Why don’t you just try?”

George was about to reply, but Dream stirred in his sleep, holding the pillow tight against his chest. He mumbled vaguely and turned over onto his side, staying asleep.

“It just wouldn’t work,” George whispered, standing up and shutting the TV off. The room was plunged into darkness.

“I’m going to bed. Goodnight, Sapnap.”

“Goodnight, Gogy.”

George slept late into the afternoon, exhausted after staying up nearly all night. When he woke up, Dream was sitting on the bed next to him, leaning against the headboard of the bed. 

“Good morning,” he said, smiling. George mumbled his reply, stretching out his limbs and sitting up.

“Sap went to the store a few minutes ago,” Dream said, looking back at his phone. “Said he’d be back in a while.”

George nodded and yawned, still half asleep.

“Can we talk?” 

And suddenly, he was wide awake.

Dream had woken up as soon as George moved out of his arms. Of course he heard everything.

His heart was pounding in his chest as George left the living room, going to sleep in his bed. Once he was sure that he was gone, Dream exhaled loudly and sat up. Sapnap grinned at him. 

“What did I tell you?” he whispered loudly. “I told you he liked you - he just didn’t want to admit it.”

Dream shook his head in shock, laughing in disbelief. He was nervous, but also so, so inexplicably happy. He was so close.

“I can’t believe it,” he said, stunned. “How did you know?”

Sapnap rolled his eyes and lay back down on the couch, pulling his blanket over himself. “He was as obvious as you were,” he said coolly. “It wasn’t really that difficult. What are you going to do now?”

Dream rubbed his cheek, grinning widely. “I gotta talk to him, right?” 

“Absolutely.”

So, the next morning, Sapnap agreed to leave the apartment for a few hours while Dream talked to George.

Which led them to now.

“Talk about what?” George asked cautiously, glancing at Dream out of the corner of his eyes. Dream sat a little straighter and inhaled a comforting breath.

“I wanted to tell you something.”

“Alright?” George said, confused. “Go ahead.”

“George…” Dream sighed and rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans. “God, George.”

“What, Clay?”

“I’m in love with you.”

George stared at him before bursting out laughing, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Dream felt his heart twinge painfully, his cheeks burning. It took George a minute to realize Dream wasn’t laughing with him, instead staring at him intensely.

“You’re not serious,” he said, the last remnants of laughter fading from the air. “Are you?”

“I’m dead serious, Georgie.”

George shook his head and stood up from the bed, backing away until his back hit the edge of his desk. “No, no, no,’’ he said anxiously, refusing to meet Dream’s gaze. “You’re joking. This is a joke.”

Clay stood up, moving to stand in front of the other, reaching down to grab both of George’s hands, squeezing them gently. “George,” he said softly. “I mean it. I’m so catastrophically in love with you, it hurts. I just...couldn’t leave England without telling you.”

George was still shaking his head. “I can’t believe you,” he said stubbornly, pulling his hands away from Dream’s hold. “This is a dream, right? Am I asleep?”

Dream groaned loudly and, before he could change his mind, grabbed George’s face between his hands.

The two of them had a mere second of eye contact before Dream leaned down and pressed their lips together. 

This wasn’t real, was it?

George’s eyes widened comically before they slid shut, hands reaching up to grasp Dream’s wrists, pressing himself further into the kiss. Little bursts of electricity shot up and down his spine, making his skin tingle with the static. 

And then his brain kicked in, recognizing who exactly he was kissing and he gasped, yanking Clay’s hands away from his face and pulling away. Dream stepped back, breathing hard, cheeks tinged pink.

“Stop,” George whispered. Dream’s eyes widened and he took a few more steps back, looking scared.

“I messed up, didn’t I?”

George couldn’t say anything, his heart and his mind clashing together with varying thoughts. He swallowed. 

“Please, just…leave me alone for a bit,” George said quietly, hugging his arms and looking away. “I can’t do this right now.”

Dream nodded and walked silently out of the room. As soon as the door shut behind him, George broke, sliding down to the floor and covering his mouth as a sob echoed through the room. Tears slid down his face.

“God dammit,” he cried, slamming his fist into the desk behind him. His monitors shook a bit from the force, but didn’t fall.

He messed up.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

TW: SH (no graphic scenes, only mentions of it)

George spent the rest of the day in his room, not coming out once for anything at all. Dream noticed his absence at random times throughout the day, and the longer the British man was gone, the guiltier he felt.

He knew he shouldn’t have kissed him. Not when George was still trying to get over Oliver. He should have waited, been more patient with him instead of rushing things. He got too excited. He fucked up.

When Sapnap got home and walked into the living room to see Clay sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the TV - which wasn’t even on - he knew something had gone wrong. He sighed and sat next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him into a side hug.

“What happened?” he asked quietly. Dream sighed and dropped his head into his hands, elbows placed on his knees.

“I kissed him,” Dream said, his words muffled by his hands. “I told him I loved him, and he didn’t believe me, so I...kissed him.”

Sapnap stared at him and shook his head. “You’re pretty stupid, aren’t you?”

Dream looked up, confused. “What?”

“He’s still trying to get over Oliver, stupid,” Sapnap said, smacking him gently upside the head. “Telling him you have feelings for him is one thing. Kissing him while he’s trying to get over another man? Dream. Come on. You should know better than that.”

Dream turned red with embarrassment. “It was just something that happened, Sap,” he muttered. “I wasn’t planning to do it. It just seemed like a good thing to do in the moment. And now he won’t come out of his room. He kicked me out, told me to leave him alone.” 

Sapnap looked surprised, and then quickly sad when he realized Dream was crying, his shoulders just barely trembling. 

“Okay, okay,” he said hurriedly, awkwardly patting Dream’s shoulder and standing up. “I’ll go talk to him, see if he’s okay. Alright? Just - stay down here.”

Sapnap wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he walked into George’s bedroom, but it wasn’t this.

George was curled up on his bed, silent tears rolling down his cheeks, obviously upset. But the marks on George’s arms are what immediately drew Nick’s attention.

“George?” he said quietly, shutting the door behind him and walking over to sit next to his friend on the bed. He rubbed his back soothingly and waited for George to sit up. His face was pale, tear tracks staining his cheeks. George sniffled and moved a bit closer, obviously seeking comfort. Sapnap gave it to him without hesitation, wrapping him up in a warm hug.

“You’re okay,” he murmured, rubbing his back. “Do you want to talk about it?”

George pressed his face into Sapnap’s shoulder. “I shouldn’t have kicked him out,” he said sadly. “I should’ve just told him I wasn’t ready. I didn’t mean to make him upset, Sap.”

Nick sighed and rested his chin on top of George’s head. “He shouldn’t have kissed you,” he reasoned. “But you’re right - kicking him out was a little harsh.” 

George nodded into his shoulder and sniffled a bit. Sapnap hugged him tighter. 

“Will you go talk to him about it? He’s really upset too. You guys really need each other right now.”

“I don’t know if I’m ready,” George admitted. “After Oliver, I just...I don’t know. It’s hard.”

“I know, and I get it.” he agreed. “But it would make both of you feel a little better if you were on the same page. Just...tell him you have feelings for him, but you’re not ready to act on them right now. You know Dream - he’d totally understand, and he’d give you all the space you need.”

“But what if I don’t want space?” George asked, pulling away from the embrace and pulling his legs up to his chest. “I want to...God, I don’t know, Sap. Part of me wants to be with him, but on the other hand, it’s hard. I’m not completely okay after Oliver.” He laughed dryly and held out his arms, his scars and marks on his arms out in the open. Sapnap flinched and looked down, unable to look at it. 

That hurt his heart, to know George had been going through so much and he hadn’t even bothered to notice. 

“It’s okay, George,” he said, looking back up. “He’ll understand, I promise.

“Just go talk to him.”

George walked down the stairs, pulling Dream’s hoodie over his head as he did. He enjoyed the warmth - that was all.

Dream was sitting on the sofa, his head hanging, staring at his hands. He looked up at George as walked in, and patted the spot next to him. George took it, pulling his legs up onto the couch.

“Dream-”

“I’m sorry,” Dream blurted, interrupting George. “I shouldn’t have kissed you, it was wrong and I should’ve known you wouldn’t take it well, I don’t know what I was thinking-”

“Clay,” George said, trying to get a word in. Dream didn’t listen.

“I don’t know why I did it, it just seemed like the only way for you to believe me and take me seriously-”

“Dream!”

Dream shut his mouth and looked up at him. “What?”

George huffed. “Finally,” he muttered. “Listen, I-” George hesitated, taking a deep breath before he continued. 

“I...like you, okay?”

Dream blinked. 

“It was just too soon for me,” he said, his voice lowering to a quiet whisper. “It’s only been a couple of weeks since Olly and I broke up. I wasn’t ready for it, and I wish that I would’ve had more time to get my thoughts together before I came down here, but I just-”

George held Dream’s gaze and shuffled closer, fitting himself neatly into Dream’s side. 

“I like you. That’s it. But...I’m not ready for anything right now.”

Dream nodded, holding the other close and burying his head in the crook of his throat. “I understand,” he said, breath ghosting over George’s skin. “I’ll wait for you, however long it’ll take. I’ll wait.”

They sat on the couch for the rest of the night, at ease with their feelings - for now. 

The next few days were peaceful, filled with Sapnap teasing the both of them endlessly about having to fix everything for them and George and Dream laughing it off. They didn’t know where they stood right now, but had come to a mutual agreement that they were still allowed to cuddle from time to time. Dream took every chance he could get to hold George in his arms.

George’s mental health was at a standstill, not getting better, but also not getting worse. He started eating a little bit more with Dream’s encouragement, but still found himself locking himself in the bathroom at night, reaching into the bottom drawer. 

They got the news that Oliver had been released from jail on bail, and that he was staying with Edward again. Sapnap helped George change the locks on all the doors, while Dream installed a deadbolt on the top of the front door, which was locked every night after dinner. Oliver wouldn’t be coming after any of them any time soon  
.  
The time came for Sapnap to go back home, much to George’s dismay. His college classes were starting back up again, and he couldn’t miss them.

“You’ll have to come visit me soon, Gogy,” Nick had said, hugging him tight at the airport. “I’m going to miss your stupid face.” 

George laughed and held him close. “I’ll miss you too, Sappy Nappy.”

And then it was just Dream and George, all alone in an apartment. 

What could go wrong?


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Time passed, and Dream was still staying with George. 

George never thought that the man would stay with him this long, making sure George was eating enough and that he got out of bed in the morning. George was grateful.

It was another morning, and this time it was pissing rain, the sky an angry grey color. George woke up first, smiling to himself when he realized that Clay had draped himself around him again, arm curled over George’s stomach. This had become an everyday occasion that he had learned to appreciate. He enjoyed the comfort. Dipping over, George took a moment to admire Dream’s features, the freckles on his cheeks, the slope of his nose. He reached out a finger and slowly traced his cheekbones, jumping violently when the other man’s eyes shot open. 

“Jesus!” George yelped, heart pounding. “What the fuck was that for?” 

Dream laughed and pulled George closer, cuddling him against his chest. “I just wanted to mess with you a bit,” he chuckled. “Good morning, Georgie.”

“Good morning, Dream.”

They lay together for a few minutes before George started to get uncomfortable with the contact - something new that had surfaced recently - and pulled away. Dream looked disappointed, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m going to go shower,” George said, stifling a yawn as he got out of bed and stretched. Dream sat up and nodded, picking his phone up from the nightstand. 

“Okay,” he said simply. “Will you be okay in there?”

George pursed his lips. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

Dream watched, suspicious at how quickly George walked into the bathroom. His concerns grew when the door locked.

“Hey, George,” he called, getting up from the bed and slowly walking over to the bathroom door. “Can you unlock this really quick? I need to grab my toothbrush.”

George sighed and unlocked it, stepping out of the way. Dream smiled at him and quickly grabbed what he needed, shutting the drawer as he left.

“Thanks!”

The bathroom door slammed and locked again, but Dream disregarded it.

He dumped the blades he held into the kitchen garbage, satisfied with the work he had done.

TW: Panic attack, mentions of SH (only mentions, no explicit scenes)

George was panicking a bit.

He opened the bottom drawer once Dream had grabbed his toothbrush and left, his heart rate quickening when he realized his blades were gone.

All of them.

He stumbled back a bit until his heels hit the bathtub and he tumbled into the bath, the water from the shower pouring over him. He ignored its sting and breathed heavily, his pupils blown wide with panic. 

Thankfully, before he could get too far into his attack, a timid knock sounded at the door, and Dream walked in a moment later. 

“George?” he called. “I heard something bang up here, are you alright?”

George couldn’t say anything, too focused on trying to get his breathing under control, only to have oxygen continuously slip out of his grasp. 

“George?”

Dream’s head peeked through the shower curtain, his eyes covered. He flinched back a bit as water hit his head, making his hair hang in his eyes. “Oh Jesus,” he muttered. Carefully, he peeked through his fingers, relief showing on his face when he realized George was still clothed.

“What are you doing, dummy?” he teased. George’s heart calmed significantly at Dream’s tone, his chest still rising and falling at a concerning rate. Dream noticed this and reached a hand out, helping him out of the shower and handing him a towel. He left the bathroom and came back a minute later with fresh clothes.

“Come on,” he said gently, helping George pull his shirt over his head and tugging the dry one down. George did the same with his pants, changing into a warm pair of sweats while Dream turned around respectfully.

“Done?” Dream asked, turning around. “Here, hand me the wet clothes. I’ll toss them in the dryer.”

George handed him the sopping wet clothes silently, following his friend out of the bathroom. He stood numbly in the center of his room while Dream disappeared with the clothes, coming back with a large blanket. He wrapped it around George’s shoulders and led him back over to the bed, helping him get comfortable before lying down next to him.

“Do you want me to hold you for a bit?” He whispered, arms held open. George nodded and allowed Dream to pull him against his chest, wrapping his own arms around his waist. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he blinked them away before they could fall. Dream hummed a soothing tune and ran his hands through George’s hair. 

“What happened?” he asked after a while of allowing George to calm down and bask in the other’s comforting presence. George shrugged as well as he could while being held in his arms. 

“I...couldn’t find them,” he muttered, cheeks warming in humiliation. Dream nodded.

“I threw them away.” he admitted. “I knew you were still doing it and...I didn’t know any other way to help. You need help, Georgie, maybe seeing someone, like a psychologist or a therapist or something-”

“I don’t need help,” George argued, sounding disgusted. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“You’re not fine,” Dream said softly, whispering the words into his ear. “But that’s okay, I get it. I just...I want to help you, Gogy. I think a therapist could really help with what you’re going through.” 

George’s cheeks turned pink and he murmured something under his breath, Dream leaning down so he could hear better.

“What was that?”

“...I have you, that’s enough for me.”

Dream laughed quietly and hugged George close. “You’re right,” he agreed. “You do have me. But someone else can help you better than I can.”

When George didn’t say anything, Dream huffed a bit.

“Think about it, at least?”

George nodded.

“Thank you.”

They slept together for a couple hours before George woke up. Dream woke up a moment after him, yawning and pulling him close. 

“What time is it?” he said sleepily, nuzzling his nose into George’s hair. George’s heart warmed at the gesture and twisted his neck to check the clock behind him.

“It’s 2:30,” he informed, flipping back over to curl into Dream’s chest. Dream hummed in response and fell back into a comfortable silence.

“Georgie?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I kiss you?”


	16. Chapter Sixteen

“Can I kiss you?”

George looked up, eyes wide. “What?”

Dream looked down at him, his eyes still a little sleepy. He smiled. “Can I kiss you?” he repeated. George let out a breathless laugh.

“Why would you want to do that?” he questioned. The tips of his ears were turning red.

Dream clicked his tongue. “Because I love you,” he said simply. “And I want to show you that I’m serious about you, whenever you’re ready to have me.”

George’s entire face turned pink, the blush spreading down to his throat. “You can’t just say that,” he muttered, slightly embarrassed. He hid his face in Dream’s chest, unable to bear looking at him. Clay laughed.

“Why not?” he said, smiling teasingly down at him. “It’s true.”

George covered his cheeks with his hands, a wide smile on his face. “Whatever, Dream,”

The two of them lay in a short silence for a moment before Dream spoke again.

“So, can I?”

“Can you what?”

“Kiss you.”

George sighed and looked up, heart fluttering nervously in his chest. Butterflies swarmed in his stomach.

“Sure.”

Dream blinked. “Huh?”

“Oh my god,” George muttered, rolling his eyes playfully before he reached up, resting his palm on Dream’s cheek and pressing their lips together.

The kiss was short, but even just the slight pressure of Dream’s lips moving against George’s had the butterflies in his stomach raging about to the point where George had to shuffle about a bit to settle them. Dream pulled away first, his pupils blown and a shit-eating grin on his face.

“I love you, Georgie,” he said happily. George smiled and snuggled back into Clay’s arms, closing his eyes.

The words bounced around in George’s head for a bit, making his heart race. 

Dream loved him.

Sudden displays of affection became more common after that. George rarely initiated them, but allowed Dream to drop kisses onto his cheek, into his hair, or on his forehead. They hadn’t kissed, for real, since that one time a few days ago, but George was content with...whatever they had going right now. 

Taking the blades out of the bottom drawer had proved to be worthwhile - George hadn’t harmed since they were thrown out. He was starting to feel a bit better, with Dream’s constant presence and reassurance. He still had problems eating, often self conscious of the way he looked. But other than that, things were good.

Until they weren’t.

Edward showed up out of nowhere, standing at George’s doorstep. It was early in the morning - Dream was still asleep upstairs. George stood between the door, peering cautiously at the man.  
“Edward,” he greeted carefully. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here.”

Edward shoved his hands in the pocket of his coat. “I wasn’t planning on being here, either.” he said. His tone was cold. George shivered.

“Can I do something for you?” he asked. Edward shook his head.

“I wanted to talk to you about Oliver.”

George shook his head quickly. “I haven’t talked to him since...Well, I’m sure you know.” George’s hand reached up to brush against the still healing bruise on his cheek. Edward looked away, looking uncomfortable. 

“He got bailed out,” Edward said awkwardly. “They called me to come pick him up.”

“I assumed so.”

The two of them stood in silence for a moment. George couldn’t stand it and sighed.

“Do you want to come in?” he asked, opening the door a bit wider. Edward smiled gratefully and stepped inside.

George led him to the living room and while Edward made himself comfortable, George went to the kitchen, returning to his guest with a glass of water. Edward accepted and took a small sip. 

“So,” he began, setting the water down on the coffee table. “You’re probably wondering what I’m doing here.”

George breathed out a laugh. “Yeah, of course. The last time you were here obviously didn’t go very well.”

Edward nodded. “Right, well. I wanted to talk to you about Oliver.”

“What about him?”

Edward sighed and clasped his hands together. “He’s obsessed with you,” he said simply. George blinked. “He can’t seem to get over you, he’s always talking about getting you back, how you were...always meant to be his and not…”

“Not Dream’s,” George guessed. Edward nodded in confirmation. 

“Exactly. I guess I just wanted to...Express my concerns. For your safety.”

George frowned. “What do you mean?”

A sigh escaped the other man's lips and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You know Oliver,” he said seriously. “He’s very stubborn, doesn’t like being told he’s wrong. I suppose I’m just concerned that he won’t leave you alone.”

George smiled and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I appreciate the concern,” he expressed, looking kindly at the man. Edward smiled back. “But I’m very certain that I won’t be having any problems with Oliver anytime soon. I’ve got all the locks changed, locks on the windows - I sincerely doubt he’d be able to come inside my apartment again.”

Edward looked relieved. “Of course, I should’ve guessed you had done something already.”

Footsteps sounded behind them and both of them looked up as Dream entered the room, his eyes squinted tiredly.

“What’s he doing here?” he said, attempting to look as intimidating as he could with his hair sticking up every which way. George smiled gently at him and waved him over. 

“Edward was just explaining to me that Oliver seems to have some attachment issues,” he said, sounding eerily calm. “He was concerned for our well-being.”

Dream looked suspiciously at Edward, who smiled nervously at him. 

“Can he leave so we can cuddle again?”

George turned bright red and Edward laughed loudly, getting to his feet and dusting his hands off on his jeans. 

“I should get going anyways,” he chuckled. George stood up and reached out to shake his hand. “Oliver will be wondering where I am soon.”

“Stay safe,” George said seriously. “I appreciate you coming.” 

Edward nodded and George walked him out, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Dream was back in the bedroom, and he opened his arms expectantly when George returned. George rolled his eyes.

“Seriously?” he joked, crawling into the bed and allowing Clay to wrap him up in his arms, their legs tangling together. “You’re so needy.”

Dream hummed and kissed his cheek, snuggling closer. “I was lonely,” he mumbled. George laughed, hesitating for a moment before leaning up to kiss Dream lightly. Dream’s eyes opened in surprise, but he smiled when he pulled away.

“Let’s talk when we wake up,” George said, curling his arms around Dream’s waist. 

“M’kay. Love you, Georgie.”

“Goodnight, Clay.”


	17. Chapter Seventeen

When Dream woke up, he was still glowing from George’s surprise kiss from a few hours ago. He glanced at the clock - it was nearly noon now - and then back at George, who was still sleeping comfortably in his arms. He smiled and pressed his lips to his forehead. George stirred and opened his eyes, looking blearily up at him.

“Good morning,” Dream said fondly. Their legs were tangled together, George’s ankles crossing over Dream’s. 

“Good morning,” George said, removing himself from Dream’s hold and raising his arms over his head. Dream tried his hardest not to stare at the small patch of skin that was exposed as George’s shirt rode up. 

“You wanted to talk,” he reminded him instead, clearing his head of dirty thoughts. This wasn’t the time for that. George cleared his throat and laid back down, staring up at the ceiling.

“Right,” he said, forehead creasing in thought. “I just wanted to ask you something.”

Dream smiled, laying on his side and reaching out to hold George’s hand. His heart sank a bit when George pulled away, his smile fading. “Is everything alright?”

“What makes you love me, Dream?” 

Clay blinked at the question, uncertain of the direction this conversation was going. “Everything,” he said carefully. George huffed and tilted his head to look at him.

“What exactly?” he said. “I just...Need to know, before I continue this conversation.”

Dream sighed breathlessly. “I mean everything, Georgie. I love your smile and the way you laugh, the way your eyes look when you wake up in the morning. I love your passion when you talk about something you love.” Dream took a deep breath before continuing.

“I love the way you look when you get out of the shower, with your hair all wet and falling in your face. I love how you’re in the mood to cuddle more often at night than you are in the morning. I love all the little things you do, like playing with Cat when you’re feeling good, or just holding her when you’re feeling down. God, I just love everything about you, George. I could go on and on, forever.”

George was smiling at him, a rosy tint to his cheeks. His eyes were shining with unshed tears. 

“I think,” he said slowly, carefully. Cautious. 

“I think I want to give this a try,” he said, taking Dream’s hand in his. “Us, I mean. I know I’m difficult sometimes, but I really do…”

Dream sensed his hesitation but grinned at him anyways, his heart bursting out from his chest. “It’s okay,” he said earnestly, grasping George’s hand, not letting him pull it back this time. Not that George had tried to. “I love you, Georgie. Let me show you.”

George nodded, his eyes wide, and Dream descended, pushing his lips against the others in a heated kiss.

They didn’t get out of bed for a while.

The two of them spent their day in euphoric bliss, enjoying their time together as an official couple.

Couple.

The word made George shiver in anticipation. It felt so official.

Today, the pair ventured out into London for the very first time since Dream had arrived, their hands clasped together as they made their way happily down the street, speaking in joyful tones. George led Dream around excitedly, showcasing his favorite places around the town. 

“This place has the best chocolate croissants,” George said proudly, leading Clay into the quaint little cafe. Dream watched in amusement as George ordered them both a croissant, thanking the cashier as they left. Dream took a bit of the flaky treat, eyes widening as flavor exploded in his mouth.

“This is really good!”

George laughed, and they continued walking.

They got home late that night, their cheeks flushed from the cold and excitement, holding bags from the various shops that they had visited on their date.

George flicked the light on in the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water from the tap. “What should we make for dinner?” he asked, taking a sip. Dream followed him into the room, looking at him in surprise. “What?”

Dream beamed. “You asked me what was for dinner,” he said happily, wrapping George up in a hug. George squeaked. “You’re hungry?”

George nodded. “Yeah, I guess walking around all day does that to a person.”

Clay seemed excited at this statement. “I’m glad you’re eating on your own,” he said, resting his head on the top of George’s. “I’m very proud of you.”

George huffed and rolled his eyes, though on the inside he was keening at the praise. “It’s not that big a deal,” he muttered, pulling away from the embrace. He watched as Dream went through the various cupboards, pulling out random ingredients. 

“It’s a big deal to me,” he said, filling a pot with water and setting it on the stove. “Means you’re getting better. How does spaghetti sound?”

They took their meal to the living room when it was finished, crashing on the sofa with a movie pulled up. George groaned as he took a bite.

“This is so good,” he declared, waving his fork at Clay. “You’re my new chef.”

Dream laughed and took a bite from his plate, a noodle slipping from his fork and landing back in his plate. “I will gladly take that position.”

They watched the movie for a while, commenting on random things that happened, but as time went on, a thought popped into his head.

What would happen when Dream had to go back to Florida?

He brought this topic up as they were getting ready for bed. George was already beneath the blankets, while Dream was in the bathroom brushing his teeth.

“Clay?” he called timidly, not looking forward to the discussion they were about to have. Dream popped his head out of the bathroom, a dribble of spit dotting his chin.

“What’s up?” he said around the toothbrush. George rolled his eyes. 

“Finish up really quick,” he said, laughing as Dream gagged a bit on the spit in his mouth. “Gross!”

Clay rinsed his mouth out and turned the bathroom light off, flopping on the bed and gathering George up in his arms. “What’s up?” he repeated.

George bit his lip, distracting Dream with the action for a second. 

“What’s going to happen when you have to go back home?” he said quietly. Dream frowned. 

“I hadn’t thought about that,” he admitted, arms tightening around George’s middle. “I’ve already been here for what, a month?”

George nodded, looking upset. “You have to go back eventually. You have your family, and all your friends-”

“I don’t really talk to my family much anymore,” Dream broke in. “Besides my sister. And honestly, the only friend I really have in the States is Sapnap.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Dream smiled. “What if I just stay here?” he suggested slyly. “With you?”

George giggled as Dream kissed his nose, batting him away playfully. “What about your channel?” he pointed out. “You can’t just leave millions of people hanging.”

Dream shrugged. “I can have all my things shipped up here. Worst case scenario, I have to buy a new setup. It’s not a big deal, Georgie.” Dream kissed him gently, smiling against his lips. “I want to stay with you. I love you.”

“You really mean it?”

“Of course I do, dummy.”


	18. Epilogue

Waking up next to Clay still felt unreal. 

A year had passed now, since Dream and George had made their relationship official. 

George watched his lover sleep peacefully, a small smile on his face.

The sun was shining brightly through the curtains of his window, casting a warm glow over Clay’s face as he snored. George reached out to run his fingers through the blonde strands of hair, still as fascinated with its softness as he was on day one. Clay stirred at the touch, twisting his head to face George as he opened his eyes.

“G’morning,” he said, giving George the lopsided smile that made his heart beat unevenly in his chest. 

“Good morning,” George said, smiling back at him. “Did you sleep well?”

“I always do, when I’m with you.”

George laughed and playfully shoved at the other man's cheek. “You're so cheesy,” he complained, though his cheeks were pink. Dream laughed and kissed the hand that was still pressed against his face.

“You love it,” he teased. George shook his head adamantly and tossed the covers off of him, laughing when they landed over Dream’s face.

“Are you hungry?” George asked, tossing on one of Clay’s sweatshirts and making his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Dream grunted from the bed.

“Not really. It’s too early.”

George poked his head out from the bathroom. “It’s nearly eleven o’clock,” he pointed out. Dream shrugged. “We could go for lunch later? Maybe that cafe you showed me a while ago. With the croissants?”

George grinned at the idea and returned to the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth. “Sounds like a great idea,” he called.

They got ready together, dressing themselves with bright smiles and loving touches. Dream held George around the waist as he grabbed his keys and wallet, resting his chin on his shoulder and kissing the side of his throat.

“Love you, Georgie,” he murmured. George smiled.

“I love you too, Clay. Are you ready to go?”

He hadn’t been expecting to see Oliver and Edward at the cafe.

They were sitting at a table directly across from George and Dream’s usual spot. George had paused in the doorway, his hesitation apparent. Dream placed his hand on the small of George’s back. 

“We can leave, if you like,” he whispered. George thought about it, but shook his head. 

“It’s been a year,” he said, smiling shakily at his lover. “It’s fine.” 

Dream looked a bit cautious as they entered the quaint restaurant, sitting at their usual table and smiling gratefully at the waitress that came over to them. The two quickly placed their orders - a salad for George and a sandwich for Dream - and then talked quietly to each other, holding hands above the table. 

“George!”

George’s shoulders tensed at the sound of his name, looking up to see Oliver standing right in front of them. Edward stood awkwardly at his side, looking uncomfortable. He offered George a small smile, almost looking apologetic. 

“Oliver,” George said stiffly, gripping Dream’s hand tight. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Oliver smiled brightly at him. “It’s been a while,” he said, eying the clasped hands on the table, his gaze drifting over to Dream, who watched him with a wary eye. “I see you and Dream are still...getting along.”

“Getting along quite nicely,” George said, his voice stony. “Thanks.”

Oliver blinked at his bluntness. “Aren’t you going to ask how I’m doing?” he said, sounding genuinely hurt. George frowned at him.

“Last time I saw you, you broke into my house and assaulted me and one of my closest friends,” he said coldly. “Excuse me for not inquiring, but we’re not on very good terms, are we?”

Oliver looked appalled. “Well,” he said, brushing the words off. “I had been hoping we could get…” He glanced at Dream, a sly look in his eyes.

“Reacquainted.”

Dream stood from his chair quickly, dropping George’s hand in the process. “Maybe you should go,” he suggested, his voice deadly quiet. “You know what you did. We don’t want anything to do with you.”

Oliver put his hands up in defense, laughing quietly. “I don’t mean to cause any trouble,” he said. He looked back over at George, who’s eyes were on Dream. He frowned and snapped his fingers in front of George’s face, making him jump and turn his eyes over to Oliver.

“There we go,” he said cheerfully. “Pay better attention, Georgie. You always did have problems listening to me.”

George flinched and cowered in his seat, eyes wide. Dream grabbed Oliver’s wrist, tugging him back a few steps and nudging him not-so-gently out the door. 

“Get out of here,” he said lowly. “Before I beat the shit out of you. Understand?” 

Oliver’s eyes widened and he hurriedly left the shop, turning back to shoot a dark look at him before crossing the street. Edward was close behind him, tossing a small wave and a sad smile back as Clay. Dream waved back before he went back into the cafe.

George sat in shock at the table, his face a bit pale and his hands shaking. Dream sighed and helped his lover up, gently leading him out of the restaurant.

They could just eat at home.

Dream had to practically drag George into the apartment with how unresponsive he had become. He recognized this action as a sign of a downward spiral - George would likely be a lot more depressed in the coming days, and wouldn’t want to get out of bed. Dream sighed and carried his lover to the bedroom, placing him carefully in the center of the bed and pulling his shoes off. He threw the blankets over him and kissed his forehead.

“Get some sleep, love,” he murmured, crawling into bed next to him and holding him close. George said nothing, just staring at the ceiling, his pupils wide and dark. 

When George woke up, he was in his bed with Dream laying half on top of him, scrolling through TikTok absentmindedly. George reached his hand up a bit to rub against Dream’s back, making him tilt his head up and smile. 

“You’re awake,” he said happily, kissing George gently. “Do you feel okay?”

George smiled at him, brushing his thumb over Dream’s cheekbone. “I’m fine,” he said. “I’ll be okay.”

“I should’ve just had us leave when we saw him,” Dream said guiltily, resting his chin on George’s chest and sighing. George shook his head, leaning back on the pillows and running his hands through Dream’s hair, his nails scratching his scalp.

“It’s not your fault,” he assured him. “It just caught me by surprise, is all.”

Dream nodded, his eyes fluttering shut at the feel of George’s hands rubbing through his hair. “Do you feel up to getting out of bed? We never got to eat. You must be hungry.”

George shook his head. “Maybe in a bit. I’m pretty comfortable right now.”

“Okay.”

And so they stayed in bed, wrapped up in each other’s love and warmth, like they were always meant to be together. Deep down, George wondered if that was true, if he was always meant to be with Clay. But in the end, it didn’t matter. What mattered is that he was with him now, and that was all he could ever ask for.

“Dream?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Georgie. Forever and ever.”

End.


	19. Final Note

Hey Guys!

I just wanted to say that I’m really grateful for everyone who’s read this story. I had a lot of fun writing it and being able to interact with you!! Your kind comments really helped me push through to the end with this story - I wasn’t sure if I would have the motivation to finish it, but I really mean it when I say your kind comments helped so much. Thank you!!

I’ll be writing another one pretty soon! I hope to see you guys there :)

For updates on the new story, you can check my twitter (@/sin_city007) 

For questions about the new story, you can message me here or on twitter!

To interact as a community and discuss any fics that are being written or are in the process of being written, join the discord! https://discord.gg/wGvRb5Naem

Thank you all so much for reading, and I really hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!! Till next time! <3


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